Soothe
by Luna Maria Boulevardes
Summary: RavenRobin. After a late night encounter with Raven, Robin's relationship with Starfire is over. Now, they've skipped the wedding and gone to Gotham, and everything is changing.
1. Chapter I

Soothe

By Eternal Luna

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

Chapter One: Warm

Raven stood in kitchen in the middle of the night, waiting for the water for her tea to boil. In the darkness, she stood out. Her white skin glowed, her amethyst hair swished gracefully about her neck. Her bare legs rippled with muscles under her thin, tiny night gown.

"I didn't expect to see you here." Robin commented as he lingered in the doorway. Raven jolted and whirled around to face him, hands already covered in black telekinesis as she prepared for battle. Realizing it was only Robin, she let her guard back down.

"Oh. It's only you," she said in her usually monotone voice. Robin shrugged. He wore navy sweat pants, and nothing else. She had to force herself not to stare at his chest as he approached her.

She watched him open the refrigerator, mumbling to himself and scanning it for something edible. She peeked over his shoulder, curious as to whether he would manage to find something that wasn't covered in blue fur. He didn't. Robin scowled as he closed the door.

"First thing tomorrow, we go grocery shopping. And that's an order," Robin said, staring at the food in disappointment. Raven startled him by laughing. Robin gave her a funny a look. "Maybe I should get Beast Boy to come by. I'm sure he'd love to see you laughing for once," Robin said playfully. Raven stopped and her eyes widened.

"Don't you dare! His jokes aren't even _funny._" Raven said, watching Robin search the cupboards.

"And mine are?" Robin said, facing her and raising at eyebrow, almost suggestively. Her face flushed pink.

"I'm new to this whole 'humor' thing. I have low standards," she said, trying to stop herself from smiling as she looked at the astonished look on his face. Raven waited patiently to hear what he'd say next.

He said nothing, just smiled at her in a way that made her understand there wasn't a bad feeling between them. Raven opened one of the cabinets, and rummaged through it for the tea she wanted.

"What are you looking for?" Raven turned and found them dangerously close, so close in fact that their chests were nearly touching. If you included the tilt of his forehead and the way she had one arm reaching up, one might almost think that they were about to witness a passionate embrace.

The two titans stood unmoving, mentally trying to figure out the best way to disentangle themselves with the least amount of embarrassment. Each could hear the other's soft, constant breath, and saw the goose flesh emerging on their arms in the soft glow of moonlight.

Somewhere in the background, a kettle whistled.

"My tea!" Raven exclaimed. In a split second the position was forgotten as she hurried past Robin to attend to the kettle. He watched her toss a packet of herbs into a mug and then added the boiling water into it. Her normally pale skin was flushed from the close encounter and looked more human than usual. "Do you want some?" Raven asked, looking at Robin.

"Sure, why not?" Robin said good-naturedly. Raven nodded and grabbed another mug and packet. She passed the first mug to Robin and then helped herself. They sat down at the table in the main room, and stole glances of each other while sipping the hot tea. "It's good," Robin commented, braking the ice.

"Thanks," Raven said. She wrapped her slender fingers around the mug, absorbing its warmth. Robin watched the steam floating over her purple eyes. She caught his glance and immediately stared down shyly. She looked up again, and spoke.

"Why are you up so late? Shouldn't you be with Starfire?" Raven asked, cocking her head to one side. Robin shrugged.

"I was just hungry. It didn't seem like a valid reason to wake her up." Robin explained. "But what are _you _doing up yourself?"

"Insomnia," Raven said. Robin nodded. Happened to the best them. He didn't know a single hero who wasn't affected at one time or another.

"It keep you up much?"

"Not really. Just. . ." her voice trailed off and she was suddenly immersed in her tea. Robin stared at her. He reached across the table and touched her hand.

"Just what?" he asked softly, and he was so gentle and kind that Raven didn't have the heart to yell at him.

"Just if I start getting to worked up. Things here are. . .different. I mean, there are good things, but so much more to worry about. It's a hard job. . .everyday, you have to go out and save the world and if you can't stop it then it means that nobody can, nine times out of ten. I sometimes wish it would all just go away! Save your own cats! Why are you making this my problem?" Raven ranted, gestured this way and that.

"I know what you mean, but, after a big rescue or something, or when someone shows how grateful they are, it's really nice," Robin said. Raven smiled.

"That's so like you, Robin, always looking for the best in people," Raven said, looking at him across the table. "Well, we might as well be getting off to bed. God only knows we'll probably be awake in two hours anyway, throwing Dr. Light into jail or some other second-rate villain," Raven said as she got up. She placed her mug into the sink, and Robin did the same thing.

"Well, good night," Robin said awkwardly. Raven gave the boy wonder a funny look.

"Good night, Robin," she said. Raven moved to get away but suddenly felt his warm, strong hands on either side of her face. She moved a hand to pull one away and instead found her fingers splayed over the top of his palm. He gracefully leaned down and kissed her chakra.

"Oh!" Raven squeaked as his lips pressed against the small dot on her forehead. She held perfectly still, feeling herself relax. After what seemed like a small eternity, he finally came away from her, blushing.

"Good night Raven," He said firmly. As he walked off, she was left standing there in confusion, wondering as to exactly what had just happened.

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	2. Chapter II

Chapter Two: Friendship

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

Raven sat in the garden, the warm spring breeze ruffling her purple hair. She turned the pages of her novel, absorbing the information and taking in the rows of words. The paper crinkled pleasantly between her fingers, and the scent of ink wafted off the pages.

Yummy!

Raven relaxed, enjoying the period of undisturbed reading. The Latin words on the page formed epic poems retelling the adventures of Aeneas fleeing from the doomed Troy. Raven could never decide which she liked better; the Greeks or the Romans? Vastly different, though equally interesting.

In the tower, the Titans scuttled about. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Terra were having a video game day and movie night, and gratefully Raven, Robin and Starfire only had to participate in the latter.

"Oh, the small racing animals are so adorable!" Starfire cooed as she watched the flickering screen. "Love Robin, why do you not watch with us?" Starfire asked, looking at him with bright, pleading eyes. Robin shook his head.

"I'm good, thanks," he reassured his fiancé. At the table, Robin was looking over jail records, reading lawyers' requests to appear in court. Part of being a Titan meant having to win a verbal battle every time a villain had a stunning personality change and demanded parole. Robin had seen enough villains in his time to realize these changes rarely lasted more than a few days.

He stared at Starfire's long red-gold hair, shining as it swung. Even after all these years, she was as beautiful and gentle and happy as ever. He had proposed to her a month ago, and couldn't remember being as happy as he was now. She had even moved into his room. She shared his bed, his bathroom. They were the quintessence of perfect coupling.

And yet. . .he now found himself thinking of Raven. Why had he kissed her last night? On that thought, why was he so worried about it? They were just friends and both of them knew that. And he kissed her forehead. He was just trying to comfort a friend. With a sigh of frustration, he got up and headed outside.

The first thing Robin saw was Raven, sitting and reading. He smiled, and walked over to the join the girl.

"Hey," he said, smiling at Raven.

"Hi," Raven said, staring up at him in confusion. "What brings you out here?" she asked him.

"Needed a break from incessant bombardment." Robin admitted. Raven laughed.

_That's the second time she's laughed in two days. _Robin thought. _What is going on?_

_Why am I acting like this? Usually I just keep to myself, but suddenly it's like I'm Robin's best friend. . .or maybe more. No! Starfire's my best friend, I could never move in on her fiancé! _Raven thought.

"What are you reading?" Robin asked, changing the subject. Raven held up her book.

"Ah, Virgil," Robin said knowingly. "_The Aeneid._"

"Yup, in the original Latin," Raven said.

"I'm impressed," Robin said, raising his eyebrows.

"It's no big deal really," Raven said, shrugging her shoulders. She paused, as though trying to decide what to say next. "Why did you kiss me?" There, that was good, blurt it out. Raven felt her cheeks heating up yet again. _Why am I blushing so much? It's only Robin. My friend. _

"I just thought. . . maybe it would calm you. It's painful to see your friends upset, ya know?" Robin said, catching her eye. _I'm such an idiot. Why did I put such emphasis on the word friend? There's nothing else there, right?_

"Um, thanks, I guess. I slept really well last night. Better than I have since. . .ever," she admitted. Both smiled and blushed.

The peace was interrupted by the Titans' alarm sounding. Raven and Robin's heads shot up. The four other Titans shot out, Starfire carrying Cyborg, Beast Boy as a bird and Terra on a rock.

"Control Freak is robbing a bank on 5th and Seaside," Cyborg reported. "C'mon!" The two Titans exchanged looks.

"But I can't fly . . ." Robin said, looking at them going off.

"Don't worry, I've got you," Raven assured him. A combination of her powers and muscle and his small, light body made it possible for her to lift him up and fly off.

"Terra! Heads up!" Raven shouted. The girl looked behind her, and Raven dropped Robin off on her rock. The mage then flew up, catching up with Starfire.

_What just happened? Why did holding him feel so good. . .and so right? _Raven wondered. She pulled her hood up and shook her head, trying to concentrate on the task at hand. The team landed outside the bank, just cutting off Control Freak.

"Give it up, Control Freak!" Robin shouted, looking the villain in the eye.

"Not happening! I have a new remote control!" Control Freak shouted. He pointed and clicked, and suddenly a huge rock came out of the ground and was thrown at the Titans.

"No freakin' way!" Terra shouted, looking at him with fury. Control Freak snickered and used the remote to possess a bus and throw that at them too. Starfire caught it just before it hit the Titans. The look exchanged between Raven and Terra was not lost on their friends.

"He's gonna get it now," Beast Boy said, looking at the two girls with worry.

"Oh yeah," Cyborg agreed. Raven and Terra sprung into action, tossing anything they could get their hands on at him.

Terra looked around, and found where a building was coming up. Concrete! She lifted the wet cement up and wrapped it around Control Freak's feet.

"Rae, help me cool this down!" the girl shouted. Raven brought a gust of wind by, but as soonthey though they hadcaught him, he broke free. The girls fell back, and Starfire came at him from above, shooting lasers at the remote control. Beast Boy took the form of a tiger and sprang forth. Cyborg attacked him with a cannon, and Robin threw exploding discs at Control Freak. The villain retaliated by throwing a car at them.

Raven gasped as she saw the car heading towards her. Before she could react she found herself being yanked harshly out of the way. Her body fell against her rescuer, and she found herself on top of Robin.

"You okay?" he asked. Raven scrambled to her feet and the Titans' leader followed.

"Yeah, fine, thanks to you," she said with a grateful grin. The two stood there a moment, forgetting the battle.

"Robin! We have caught the Control Freak!" Starfire exclaimed with glee as she held up the over weight villain.

"And this is what you get for messing with MY powers!" Terra shouted. She snatched the remote and proceeded to smash it with several rocks.

"My baby!" Control Freak wailed. "NO! How will I build a new one?" he cried.

"Well, I'm sure you'll get lots of free time - in jail." Robin told him smugly. He nodded off to the police standing on the sidelines, who scampered forth to take him away. "Good work team," Robin said, giving them a congratulatory nod.

"Yes! We have done well!" Starfire said. She kissed Robin hard on the lips, and the Titans rolled their eyes.

"Let's go, lovebirds," Cyborg said, teasing the couple. "C'mon ya'll, pizza on me." Raven turned away as Starfire grabbed his hand and began tugging him to the local pizzeria. Something stung from watching them. That was new. She didn't have feelings for Robin. He was her friend, her teammate. _What was going on with her?_

Robin glanced at Raven as his fiancé pulled him along after her, cheerfully bubbling about how they had invented an m & m and mint frosting pizza just for her, and wasn't it wonderful? The Starfire pizza! He just had to try it, oh please, wouldn't he? Robin hardly noticed her.

_This is ridiculous. I'm getting married in two months. I love the woman I'm marrying, I hand picked her. Why is now that I'm thinking so much about Raven? _

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	3. Chapter III

Chapter Three: Movie

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

Terra, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, Robin and Raven roamed the video store, trying to decide on a movie. Well, the first four anyway. All the opinions were different. Beast Boy wanted humor, Cyborg wanted Sci-Fi, Starfire wanted Romance, Robin wanted Action, Raven wanted Horror and Terra wanted them to leave sometime before another villain attacked.

Robin and Raven hung back, because they didn't care enough to get involved. Meanwhile, Terra and Starfire were trying to keep the peace.

"Here, this has to please everyone," Terra said, yanking a movie off the stands. "Wicked Scary the Sequel. Happy?" the blonde said, waving the DVD around. Beast Boy's eyes lit up. Starfire and Cyborg shrugged. They turned to Raven and Robin, waited for their approval.

"You gonna be ok?" Robin asked, turning the mage. Raven shrugged.

"Whatever," she said. Robin gave them a curt nod, and Beast Boy jumped up and down in delight. He dragged Terra along behind him, and Cyborg followed to help them collect half the candy display.

"Spending time with friends is glorious, no?" Starfire said, smiling brightly at Robin.

"I could only think of one thing I'd rather do," Robin said. Starfire squealed.

"Aw, you're so sweet!" Starfire cooed, assuming he meant spending time with her. She bent down and kissed him, her cherry red lips consuming his pink ones. Raven turned away. Raven liked to think it was because she wasn't emotional. Starfire liked the think the same thing. So did Robin.

But Starfire was blissfully unaware of the hidden thoughts of her two best friends. _I wonder if she likes me, _Robin thought. _Is that why she's turned away from me and Starfire? Nah, probably not. Raven's just not very emotional. _

_I don't like Robin. Not like that. I'm just not very emotional, that's the only reason I'm turned away. I'm a respectful person; I'm giving my two best friends some privacy. _Raven reassured herself, even though she realized the conversation was completely and totally worthless. Why bother lying to _herself?_

"Okay, we have movies, food, and we are ready to go at last!" Cyborg declared, followed by the hyped-up BB and Terra.

"Great. Let's go," Robin said, smiling at his teammates. Starfire took his hand in hers, and he was surprised by how warm her hands were. Why had he never noticed this before? She touched his face, and smiled as they walked over to the T-car. Robin flinched under her touch; her hands were so hot on his face, they were practically burning him.

"Promise to hold me if I get scared?" she asked, looking at Robin with her shining emerald orbs.

"Of course," he promised her. Starfire smiled at him, and he smiled back at her. Sweet Starfire, so loving and good to him. He followed her into the car, and found himself seated between Starfire and Raven. Raven was reading the Aeneid. Starfire was babbling about Wicked Scary the Sequel.

As the Titans sat down on their couch, they fell into similar position. Cyborg held a huge bowl of popcorn, and Beast Boy sat with Terra on his lap, both consuming gobs of chocolate and Coke-Cola. Starfire sat on Robin's right side, holding his hand and Raven on his left side, reading.

"Put down the book, Raven! At least watch the movie! And try not to get scared this time, okay?" he sneered. Raven gave him a look that could turn the sweetest sugar rancid.

"Just turn on the movie," she hissed angrily. Starfire placed a hand on Raven's shoulder.

"Do not worry, friend Raven, I am sure you will fine," Starfire said. And then, edging her friend closer whispered, "But feel free to wake me if you are worried in the night."

Raven gave a small smile. "Thank you Starfire," she said. They were shushed by Beast Boy as the movie began to roll.

Half way through the movie, Robin could feel Raven's hand shaking beside him. He reached out to take it, but was interrupted by Starfire. She smiled at the other girl, and clasped her hand tightly behind Robin's back. By the time the movie had ended Robin hada very stiff back.

"Well, time for bed," Cyborg announced, shuffling into the darkness.

"I agree," Terra said, stretching her skinny arms into the air. Beast Boy's face fell.

"Bed?" he whined, looking at his girlfriend.

"Yeah,"

"But . . . it's awfully early. . ."

"Who said anything about _sleeping_?" Terra asked, grinning at him in a very gag-worthy way. Raven made a face.

"Please, stop it. No one hears wants to hear about your rampant sex life," Raven scolded them.

"Admit it; you're just jealous because you don't have one!" Beast Boy teased. Terra laughed nervously as Raven cast an evil look at them.

"And if you want to live long enough to see what happens in yours, I suggest we leave. Preferably now," Terra said, giggling nervously and tugging at his arm. Beast Boy went willingly.

Raven watched them, and sighed in contempt. Horny brats. Oh well. Unlike Robin and Starfire, she didn't have to worry about hearing them screaming through the walls. Although, they _were_ an engaged couple. There was a good chance they couldn't hear the terrible twosome over their own screaming.

The thought put bad images in Raven's mind as she thought of Robin being with Starfire. Loving Starfire. It shouldn't disturb her as much as it did; they'd been going out for almost two years before he proposed to her. Raven had had plenty of time to destroy a beautiful relationship. _So why on earth was she picking now?_

Robin allowed Starfire to drag her to their room, where they took turns in the bathroom and went to bed. No sex, no excitement. Starfire wrapped her arms around Robin, and drifted to sleep with her head resting on his bare chest. Her skin was so hot. He was finally forced to push her off. It took him a long time to fall asleep, and when he finally did it was fitful and disturbed.

At about three in the morning, Robin was awakened by a light coming through his door. He squinted, and was only half-surprised when he saw Raven in their doorway.

"Hey," he whispered. The girl jumped.

"Sorry, I was looking for Starfire." Raven said. "I didn't mean to wake you up," the mage said, blushing.

"S'ok. Here, let's let Star sleep. What do you need?" Robin asked, swinging his legs out of the bed. Finally, away from her heat. Her smothering heat. It was killing him. Raven and Robin stepped out into the hallway.

"Oh, it's nothing," Raven reassured him. Robin put his arm on her shoulder, and Raven looked down at her feet.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" he asked her, his voice gentle. "I mean, what can we do to help these little nighttime meetings? I think we could both use the extra sleep," Robin said, laughing a little.

"It was just the movie. . ." she mumbled, trailing off. He faltered; great, now he'd embarrassed her.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Let's see what we can do about that insomnia, okay?" Robin said, flashing her a bright smile. Raven felt a little faint as she looked at him. God, those lips . . . she shook her head to clear out any distracting thoughts. After all, this was an engaged man!

Robin began to walk, and Raven scurried after him. He walked into the infirmary, and began mumbling incoherently as he went through pill bottles. Raven stood on her tip-toes to see over his shoulder, arching her neck and leaning forward.

"What are you looking for?" Raven asked, trying to figure it out. A sleep aid? A knock-out pill?

"This!" Robin shouted, holding up an orange prescription bottle. Raven observed it. Nope, nothing special that she could see. "It emits a dose of anti-histamine that works quickly to make you sleepy and then leaves quickly so you're not hung-over in the morning," he told her wryly.

"Thanks," Raven said. She took one of the orange capsules, and accepted a glass of water from Robin to toss it back with. They left the infirmary, and by the time they were heading back to Raven's room she was practically the walking dead. Robin punched the code into her room, leading the girl into the dark space.

"Here," Robin said. He pulled the dark covers around her, and kissed her forehead. It made Raven feel safe and calm. He started to walk away, but she cried out. Robin turned.

"Wait," Raven said, a hand reaching out for him. "Stay with me," she said. "Please," her voice was quiet.

"Yeah, of course," Robin said. He sat down next to her, and she smiled up at him. Robin yawned, and she laughed.

"Lay down," she ordered. "You're tired too, Robin. Contrary to popular belief, you're not invincible," she teased. He smiled. Being with Raven was like first love all over again.

Robin laid down next to her, and curled up under the covers. She splayed her hand over his cheek, and he put his hand over hers. Her hands were cool, and soothing. Water. Raven came closer, her eyes half-lidded with sleep. He slipped his arm around her waist, and kissed her chakra. She fell asleep in his arms.

* * *

Robin was the first to wake of the two. Her body was pressed against his, curled up to fit in his arms. Her cool hands were on his hot back, and her cold toes were warming themselves between his thighs. Robin didn't try to dislodge himself from her grip.

_I'm being a nice guy. I don't want to disturb my friend when she's sleeping, especially with all the insomnia she's had. _Robin justified himself.

_He's so warm . . . I hope he hasn't figured out that I'm awake yet, because I would be more than happy to stay in his arms forever. _Raven thought. Finally, she peeked up through sleeping eyes. Their eyes met and they held perfectly still for a moment, not even breathing. At last they torn apart, acting as though the other's touch may have burned them. This was bad. They had shared a bed. They were scantily dressed.

And here Beast Boy thought Raven had no sex life!

"You should get back to Starfire, shouldn't you?" Raven said, almost apologetically. "Sorry to bother you last night," she quickly added. Robin shrugged. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"It's fine. I'm the team leader. I should take care of everyone, and well, you were in trouble. Right?" he said, smiling at her. It was painful to look at him for her.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah," she echoed, as though she needed to hear it again to truly believe it.

* * *

Starfire woke up in an empty bed, and clutched the sheets around her. _Where is Robin?_ The alien princess wondered. Oh well. He was probably up already, making them all breakfast or something. She smiled. Her Robin. He was so good to her! And he loved her so much, as much as she loved him. She sighed, and got up. The alien disappeared into the shower, and soon emerged ready for the day. She left the bedroom, and did not notice Robin enter from the opposite direction.

"Where is Robin?" Starfire asked in confusion as she came into the kitchen. Raven's mind raced. _Make something up, and quick! _

"He, um. . ." Raven stumbled. _I SAID LIE! _"I spilt some milk on his uniform and he went to go change," Raven said quickly.

"Oh," said Starfire. She sat down next to Raven, and picked up the newspaper, looking it over. Perhaps she would go find her wedding dress today. . . .

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	4. Chapter IV

Chapter Four: Dress

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

Starfire looked around the beautiful little chapel in awe. Dark wooden pews filled the space, and stained glass windows stood tall as the building itself over thealtar. She sighed. She was getting married. Her, someone's wife! And every time she thought about it, Starfire never came up with a better someone than her own dear, sweet Robin.

Farther back, the Titans dispersed themselves into the chapel. Raven went up to the front, looking at the windows. She ran her hand over the smooth, cool glass. She liked stained glass. When you had light streaming through a beautiful picture, it just made things look so hopeful and wonderful.

"Hey," Robin said, coming up next to her. Raven smiled warmly at the team leader.

"Hey," she said back. "I hope that you like this place,because I think your fiancé has fallen in love all over again," Raven said, gesturing to the gleeful Starfire running about. Robin laughed.

"Yeah, that's Starfire," he said, wondering why he felt like cringing. DidStarfire ever stop talking? Why didn't he notice this before?

The two Titans stood at the altar, facing each other. They looked as though they were waiting for something. The light streamed in through the windows, bathing them in its after glow.

_But for every light, a shadow must be created…_

Starfire looked at the altar, and for a minute scared herself. Why, if you didn't know better it would look as though Raven and Robin were the ones getting married! How silly of her. The alien princess bounded up the steps to join her fiancé and her best friend. Things were so perfect right now, what could possibly go wrong?

After they booked the chapel, it was on to the reception hall. The Titans were eagerly planning the wedding, their voices babbling and talking over each other and around each other. It was mostly Terra and Starfire, but Beast Boy and Cyborg certainly had their input. Robin was forced to add a word every so often, (mostly the words, "I think that's a great idea, honey!") and Raven was perfectly silent throughout the entire ride.

The reception hall was a huge room with cream colored walls and round tables with rose colored table cloths. There was an enormous dance floor with an awesome stereo system designed to play any kind of recording device.

Starfire and Terra eagerly took to the dance floor, swinging and laughing and looking like teenage girls at a school dance. Beast Boy and Cyborg were quick to follow, and Terra was shuffled between Beast Boy and Starfire. The girl laughed as she danced.

"Hey, Cyborg, can you do the robot?" Beast Boy asked mockingly. The older boy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yuk it up," Cyborg said as Starfire, Terra and Beast Boy laughed.

"Come, love Robin, see how you like this dance floor," Starfire said, smiling. She held her hands out, and he reluctantly took them. The two awkwardly began to dance, and after much blushing and giggling they were froced to break apart.

"Hey Raven, are you going to dance?" Terra asked the gothic girl, finally breaking away from Beast Boy. Raven frowned.

"I don't dance," she stated simply. Terra made a face.

"Aww, come on!" she begged looking at Raven with pleading eyes.

"No!" Raven said sharply. The Titans cast begging looks at her. Why couldn't Raven just have some fun?

"Come on, I'll dance with you," Robin said. Raven crossed her arms. "C'mon. As team leader that's an order," he said, smiling at her.

"Well, god forbid I disobey a team order," Raven said sarcatically, rolling her eyes as she walked over. Starfire moved away from Robin, feeling a hint of jealousy, but she quickly bit it back down. There was nothing for her to worry about! Her sweet, caring fiancé was just trying to please everyone and help her best friend. It was things like this that had made her fall in love with him in the first place.

"Here, it's a Spanish dance. It should be pretty easy; the man leads," he told her, taking her hands. Raven nodded, not trusting herself to be able to both speak and not say something completely idiotic at the same time.

As the salsa began, it became increasingly obvious that Robin was a good dancer. Starfire grinned with pride. Beast Boy and Terra simply enjoyed the show. But Cyborg, the smartest of the remaing four,wondered why they were being so close, and nervous. What was going on . . .?

Raven's breath quickened as she tried to keep up with Robin. Her legs and arms moved, and she spun and somehow managed not to trip over her own feet. This was actually pretty simple, when she thought about it. All she had to do was trust Robin.

Their bodies were very close as the dance continued, and their hot breathes were mingling in the cool air. Everything was happening so fast. They could hardly keep up with the other. At last, though, the dance ended, and Robin bowed as Raven stood there, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened.

"See! It is fun, and easy!" Starfire said, squealing happily at Raven. The darker girl nodded faintly. Oh god, they had been so close. She wanted him back. He was so warm. . .

"Let us book this place for the reception!" Starfire declared, jumping up and down with barely-contained happiness and excitement. She grabbed Robin's hand yet again, dragging him along behind her. Again, Robin found he wanted to yank away. Her hands were so hot! Raven's had been cool and slightly moist, so refreshing against his hot flesh.

Having Raven so close felt good. Her tiny, lithe body was easier to handle than Starfire's, which felt like a big gangle of height and limbs. Starfire kissed his cheek, and he felt like he had been burnt. What the hell was wrong with him? It was now, that he found himself wondering for the first time if he was about marry the wrong woman.

Raven walked back to the car, feeling very confused about everything going on and what she was feeling. She was all but throwing herself at an engaged man. The man her best friend was going to marry. So why did she feel like Robin and Starfire were about to make a big mistake? Raven sighed. She shouldn't feel this way. She was on the verge of becoming the other woman in a perfect relationship.

As the other Titans trickled out, they went into the car and began to drive through the city. Starfire's voice filled the T-car with talk as they drove through Jump City, with Terra and Beast Boy chiming in to offer their opinions on various subjects. Cyborg was silent, as well as Raven and Robin. Eventually, they pulled up to the Pretty Bride bridal shop

"Hello!" Starfire shouted as she entered the pink and white shop. She finally released Robin's hand, and began to eagerly go through the dresses with Terra. Raven watched them in mild disgust.

"Shopping isn't exactly your thing, is it?" Robin said, watching the two other female Titans tear apart the store and frighten the young girl who was supposed to be assisting them.

"Ya think?" Raven said sarcastically.

"Sorry we have to drag you here," Robin apologized. Raven shrugged.

"Well, it's your wedding too," she said. "So shouldn't you be looking for a tux anyway?" she asked. Robin shrugged.

"Yeah, although if you ask me they're all basically the same," Robin informed her. She laughed quietly.

"Good to know that I'm not the only one who thinks that," Raven said knowingly. Robin smiled at her. Beneath the protection of her hood, Raven blushed madly. They watched Terra follow Starfire into the dressing rooms, and obediently went after the two.

The dressing rooms were small, cramped, white places. Robin and Raven stood in a squished hallway as Terra and Starfire debated about which dresses they should look at. After all, for this wedding Starfire needed to get the PERFECT dress.

"Excited to see your bride all done up?" Raven said, looking at the dressing room and thanking whatever gods there were that she was not in there with them. Robin shrugged.

"I'm sure Starfire will look fine no matter what she wears," Robin said. Raven raised an eyebrow, and was then surprised when Robin pulled her hood down from her face.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"I just thought it would be nice to see your face for once," Robin said, locking eyes with her. He his hand on one side of her face, and she leaned into it. So warm. . .

He kissed her.

Raven's first response was to resist, but she gave in quickly, because the kiss was so good and so sweet, and it felt so perfect and right. She kissed him with vigor and passion, because she didn't want to surrender him to Starfire. She wanted him all for herself.

Robin kissed Raven with the same fervor, meeting her exactly. Her kiss was cool and refreshing, consuming and yet not smoldering. They broke apart only when their mutual need for oxygen over powered their mutual need for one another.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me," Robin said, staring at Raven as though he was seeing her for the first time. Raven held her head, and tried to steady herself. _What a kiss!_

"Robin . . ." she said, her voice strained. "We can't do this," Raven said, looking at him with pleading.

"Oh, no! Of course not! I'm getting married. . .I must just be nervous. . .I don't know what I was thinking.. . I'm so sorry," he apologized. Raven just nodded. Her head hurt.

"Of course, nervous," she said to reassure both of them. At that exact moment Starfire walked out, wearing a beautiful gown. It was ivory colored, and strapless. The bodice had seed pearls sewn on it, and the skirt was made of a silky material that shined with every move she made. A rhine stone tiara with a tulle veil was placed on her head, and her golden-red hair shimmered. The two titans forgot their awkwardness as they stared at their teammate, astonished.

"Well, what do you think?" Starfire asked, taking a baby step towards Robin. "Terra helped me pick it. It as the only one that we could agree on,"

"It's gorgeous. _You're_ gorgeous." Robin said, looking at her with a wide-eyed expression. Raven nodded. Starfire was going to be a beautiful bride. The alien princess giggled happily. She stood in front of the three way mirror, observing her reflection.

Robin stood on one side of her; Raven the other, watching her with mixed feelings. For Raven, she was torn between supporting her best friend and following her heart, and for Robin, he was torn between two women and very confused about his feelings in general. The lights glared down, and Starfire was covered in the shadows created by Raven and Robin. She didn't notice as she looked in the mirror.

_She was getting married!_

Beast Boy, Terra, and Cyborg stood at the end of the hall, watching their three teammates and close friends. Terra put her arms around her boyfriend, and smiled at him.

"That'll be us someday," she said, nodding towards Robin and Starfire. Beast Boy kissed her.

"Maybe sooner than you think," he added with a grin. Terra's eyes lit up. He was going to propose to her? When? She had to know! Immediately the earth-mover began to interrogate him, but Beast Boy had no answer that she could hear.

Meanwhile, Cyborg was silent. He had witnessed the kiss between Robin and Raven, and was still trying to decide what to make of it. For someone who had never even so much as _glanced _at another woman, Robin was sure changing his ways! Still, he decided against saying something to Starfire. It was probably pre-wedding nerves. After all, this was it. The big time. If you got cold feet or made a bad choice, too bad. There was no going back after "I do." This was it.

Unable to stop himself though, when the other four went to check-out, Cyborg clamped a large metal hand on Robin's shoulder.

"Hey, what was that all about with Raven back there?" he hissed, watching carefully to see that the others weren't paying attention. Robin's face burned crimson.

"Just, ya know, pre-wedding nerves. This is it, you know," Robin said, trying not to sound nervous. Cyborg's human eyes looked at him warily. "Besides, after I saw Starfire in that wedding dress, I knew that there was only one woman for me," the team leader said confidently. Cyborg grinned.

"Hey, congratulations man," the older boy commended him, at last satisfied that Robin was not about to run out on Starfire for Raven. Robin nodded, smiling weakly and breathed a sigh of relief as Cyborg left.

_I didn't lie to Cyborg, _Robin reassured himself. _I meant it when I said there was only one woman for me. _He gazed across the room, and his eyes landed on the slightly gothic girl reading The Aeneid.

_Her name is Raven. . ._

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	5. Chapter V

Chapter Five: Cry

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

Raven slept soundly thinking of him. In her dreams, she was wild and free. There was no Starfire to worry about, or angry friends, there was nothing at all. In her dreams, the days were filled with devotion and intellect, the night with wine and sex. In her dreams, Robin was hers.

Raven tossed and turned in her bed, tugging her covers tighter and tighter around her body to make herself warm. She echoed back to the night before, when he had held her, and she had slept with her tiny hands on his hot, hot back and her cold toes warmed between his hot thighs.

Raven wanted to hold him and never release him, because he didn't belong with Starfire! He belonged with her, in her arms. But Raven couldn't bring herself to even consider tearing them apart. Her best friends! How could she ruin how happy they were? The sorceress turned over, and faced the ceiling.

"Oh Azar, please help me," she said, looking about as miserable as she felt. Raven sighed, and curled into a ball. Maybe she couldn't tear them apart herself. . .

. . . but nothing was going to stop her from hoping Robin broke up with Starfire.

* * *

Robin woke up for a shower at six in the morning, but stopped himself and decided this was a good time for a workout. The confusion and anguish he was feeling was a good fuel for working out.

He went into the gym, and warmed himself up with a jog. After that, he moved on to some weight lifting. After forty-five minutes sweat was coursing down his body, and he was forced to pull of his t-shirt.

Naturally, at the same time Raven entered the gym. Her face turned bright red as she caught sight of Robin, but she forced herself to ignore him and go in. The mage had planned on using one of the treadmills, but tripped on her way there. She cried out.

"Are you alright?" Robin asked, running over to her. Raven groaned and stirred slightly.

"My ankle," she said, reaching for her left ankle. Robin took it, and looked it over. He moved it slightly, and she cried out again.

"I think you twisted it," Robin told her. "I'm going to go get some ice for that, you just sit here a moment, ok?" he instructed her.

"Right, because I had plans of running away fast as I could up until now," Raven said, rolling her eyes. Okay, she could heal it herself, but where was the fun it that?

"You know, now I'm inclined to just let you sit here and suffer until someone else comes in," Robin said, looking at her and raising an eyebrow. Raven rolled her eyes again.

"You would not," she said confidently.

"And why wouldn't I?" Robin said, meeting her confident air.

"Because you love me," Raven said, the words leaving her mouth before she could think about them. Silence reigned supreme. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Raven said, turning away from him. Robin spoke.

"No, you have every right to say that," Robin said with a sigh. "Raven, I think I'm making a mistake marrying Starfire. I think I'm in love with you."

Raven's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. What was wrong with her? Hadn't this been exactly what she wanted? _No, this isn't what I want. He doesn't know what he's saying; this isn't right. _

"Robin, you don't know what you're saying," she said slowly and softly, voicing the thoughts in her head. She put her hand over his. "You went out with Starfire for two years before you proposed to her. And this last month you've been the happiest I've ever seen you. Now, like three days ago, you became immensely interested in me. I'm not trying to say that I'm not flattered, but this can't go on. I think you're just nervous, because this is sealing the deal. It means you can't think about other women anymore or anything. And I can understand that. But don't throw this work away out of fear. This isn't right. And you know it." Robin was silent for a minute.

"Is that really how you feel?" Robin asked, leaning over her. His face was practically touching hers, and Raven forced herself to look away.

"Robin . . . don't do this to me." Raven pleaded with him. He leaned over her and kissed her, and again she was lost in his kiss. Almost against her will, Raven found herself lying back, and now he was over her, their laced fingers supporting him and his knee between hers. Their right hands broke apart, and her hand trailed over his chest, and then down to his stomach, tracing the lines of muscle. He moaned into her mouth.

"Raven. . ." he hissed, looking at her as he broke they kiss. She touched his face, and he leaned into her refreshing touch. So much better than Starfire, with the heat of her star bolts seeping through her skin.

Suddenly the mage shot up, and Robin had to back up quickly to avoid getting hurt. Raven looked at him with a pained expression on her face, and then placed her hands on his shoulders. The girl shook him hard.

"We. Can't. Do. This." Raven said, shaking him harder with every word she said. "Do you understand now?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"Raven. . ." he reached for her and she slapped him across the face. His temper sparked. "Did you ever think I might be telling the truth?" he questioned sharply. Her eyes narrowed.

"If you walk out on Starfire, you're making the biggest mistake of your life. I have no idea what's wrong with you, but this can't continue. She loves you, and I think that if you put some more thought into this you would remember that you loved her too," Raven added. Robin sighed. He ran a hand through his spiked black hair.

"Could you look me in the eye and say that you don't have feelings for me and that you really believe I belong with Starfire?" he asked, staring at her. Raven met his eye with an even stare.

"I don't have feelings for you beyond friendship and I think that you belong with Starfire," she stated evenly. He took once last look at her.

"Okay, just friendship from here forth," he said. Robin reached out a hand, but Raven refused it. Her hands glowed over her ankle, and she got up fine on her own.

"Healing powers, remember?" she said to him. Robin nodded. She walked out of the gym, and he grabbed his shirt and followed her. His eyes traced her going into her bedroom, and Robin retreated to his own room. When he arrived, Starfire pinned him to the wall and put her seething hands over his chest. She kissed him hard, bruising his lips almost.

The alien kissed him all over his face, and then ran her lips over his neck and chest. He ran his fingers through her hair, the whole while thinking of Raven. Beautiful Raven. Who had just left him. Starfire's warm fingers swirled over his back, counting every vertebrate.

"I love you," she whispered in his ear before tracing a saliva trail to his swollen lips. Her tongue entered his mouth, and he engaged in a long known dance, familiar to both him and Starfire.

At last, oh thank god at last, he was able to pull himself away from the eager princess. Robin stepped into a cold shower, and thought of Raven. He imagined her cool hands on his body again, reliving the moment. The water fell agents him like gun shots.

* * *

"What in Azar's name was I thinking?" Raven shouted once she was in the safety of her room. "He's engaged. I'm best friends with his fiancé. What in Azarath's name is wrong with me?" Raven questioned the books and other various objects in her bedroom.

They had no reply for her.

Raven threw herself on her bed, and began to cry. Why had she refused him? Why couldn't she be a normal person and appreciate a good relationship? He had told her he loved her. Didn't normal people confess hidden feelings when things like that came up?  
Her shoulders shook and black magic filled the air as she sobbed quietly, thinking about her loss. She stumbled into her bathroom, and yanked at the handles until her shower turned on. She turned the heat up so that it was abnormally high, and thought of Robin's hands as it ran down her naked body.

* * *

Terra laid back on the couch, relaxing and eating a donut. Her headphones blared with Green Day music, and she bopped her head along with the rhythm. Sometimes the best things in life were good music, bad food and trashy novels that you would only let you best friends or complete strangers see you reading. And as Terra had all three, she felt it was shaping up to be a very good day in Jump City.

Starfire and Robin walked into the main room, and Terra had to smile when she saw them. They were so adorable together! Robin and Starfire seemed to have always been cut out for each other. And now that they were getting married (only eight weeks left!), which meant there would soon be lots of mini Starfires and Robins running around everywhere.

Aw. How cute!

Robin helped himself to strong coffee. Starfire drank some juice, all the while babbling about the wedding.

_Does she ever SHUT UP? _Robin wondered as he stared at her. He rubbed his eyes, and added more grinds to his coffee. He had the distinct feeling that he was seriously going to need it.

Starfire couldn't help talking and talking and talking when it came to her wedding. She was so excited! She was going to get married to Robin, who she loved. Her husband-to-be! Starfire never got tired of hearing or saying these words. Having him close was wonderful. She loved touching him, seeing him, hearing his voice, smelling him, the taste of his mouth. Everything about him was absolutely perfect in Starfire's eyes.

She propped her head up with one hand, and stared at him as though his face held the cure for AIDS. He was such a glorious, magnificent creature! Every inch perfectly planned and done. She loved him with a vigorous passion that would never die so long as she lived.

Raven entered the room, and began to prepare herself some tea. Terra noticed what Starfire didn't; they were careful not to touch each other. Terra thought it was kind of odd, but didn't voice her opinion. If they wanted to be weird, let them be. It wasn't affecting her life.

Beast Boy bounded in and threw himself over Terra. She laughed, and he kissed her hard. Starfire giggled, and Raven rolled her eyes. Terra ran her fingers through Beast Boy's hair, and grinned happily.

"It's washed! How nice," she said, grinning at him brightly. Beast Boy laughed and kissed her nose. She smiled at him with such love and devotion it was almost sickening. Except Starfire smiled, Robin had looked the other way and Raven wasn't paying attention to them, because she never did.

When Cyborg came out, he walked over to the kitchen happily. Waffles and bacon and eggs for breakfast! That was today's special! His large metal body shoved Raven's tiny Audrey Hepburn frame out of the way easily.

"Nice going," Raven said, glaring at him. He shrugged as he surfaced from the refrigerator. Raven sighed and attended to making her tea. At least no one got on her about that.

She quickly finished preparing the drink, and sat down at the kitchen table. She began to scan the headlines, checking for any news that would involve the Teen Titans in some way, shape or form. So far nothing was coming up. Raven threw it down in disgust. Just when she _wanted _to battle evil and get out of the tower, all the villains got together and decided to lie low!

Typical.

Raven looked out the windows, watching the clouds float by. The day stretched ahead of her, long and wearisome. She wished it was night, because she honestly just wanted this day to be over. She didn't want to deal with seeing Robin, and wanting Robin and aching for Robin. She sighed. She had to be strong. She was doing the right thing, for Robin's sake as much as hers. For Starfire's sake, because she was not going to let down her best friend. This was for the best. Really.

Of course we believe you.

Robin looked over at Raven with longing. Who was right? Was he really meant to be with Starfire, and it was just some hormones or was it something more? Was he truly in love with Raven, or was this just he version of sex with the stripper the night before the wedding? He looked at her. And she looked at him. And when she met his eye, he turned away. He remembered what she said;

_I don't have feelings for you beyond friendship and I think that you belong with Starfire_

Robin smiled at Starfire. She grinned back at him. In eight weeks he was going to get married to Starfire. He walked over and kissed her. It was probably just pre-wedding nerves that were getting at him. He was going to marry Starfire. He longed for Raven. . .Robin swallowed and hoped it would pass with time. He did not see Raven pulled her hood up.

_**I miss you. . . **_

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	6. Chapter VI

Chapter VI: Wedding

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, or the lyrics to "Chapel of Love".

Six Titans awoke in Titans Tower on the day of Robin and Starfire's wedding. Beast Boy took a long shower and hung up his suit, so the at least one item in his wardrobe wasn't wrinkled. Cyborg made breakfast, being the only one who didn't need to get dressed up. Terra pulled out her pink bridesmaid dress, and hung it on her door for after the spa and salon trip. Terra herself put on a pair of jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt.

Starfire woke up in her old room, because seeing the groom 24 hours before the wedding was bad luck for the marriage. She tried on her veil again, staring at her mirror. As she prepared for the day, she sang. "Gee, I really love you and we're gonna get married. . . Going to the Chapel of Love!" The alien princess smiled and put on a pink top and darker pink miniskirt.

When Raven woke up, at first she didn't have the heart to get herself out of bed. Today Robin was going to marry Starfire, and there was nothing she could do about it. She threw on a dark jeans and a blue shirt with a black sweater. Before she left, she was forced to actually put on some make-up so Terra and Starfire wouldn't ask why she had been crying.

When Robin woke up, he stumbled to the bathroom and threw up. This was it. The big time. He was going to get married, and nothing could stop it at this point. He was getting married to Starfire, even though he was still in love with Raven, a love that hadn't waned over time but had steadfastly grown. And he couldn't deny that something was there, but every time Raven pushed him away. Even when they were both crying and in pain, she pushed him away. Even though he told her he loved her.

Funnily enough, he wasn't sure if he'd ever said that to Starfire.

The boy wonder took a long shower, protesting getting out. Every step he took would take him closer to a doomed marriage. Every move he made was about Starfire. Sweet, loving Starfire, who would've never thought he was going to stab her in the back like this. After he got out of the shower, he spent most of the time crying, something he seemed to be doing a lot of lately.

In the main room, Starfire dragged the eager Terra and the listless Raven behind her as they set out for a day of beauty and pampering as they got ready for the afternoon wedding. It was a beautiful June day, and it seemed nothing could've made it more perfect for a wedding.

After Cyborg gave Terra the manual about the care and keeping of the T-car (it was the size of a phone book), the three girls were off. Terra and Starfire sat in the front, talking about the wedding and Raven was in the back reading _The Iliad _in the original Greek.

"Raven, do you think I should wear this shade of eye shadow or this one?" Starfire asked, holding up to cartridges of identical pink eye shadow. Raven did not even look up.

"The one on the left."

"You didn't even look!"

"And?"

Starfire sighed and turned back, trying to pick. What was Raven so lobstery about anyway? She sighed and flipped open the mirror, holding up the two eye shadows. Blush pink or lily pink? How to choose?

Aw, we feel your pain Starfire!

The three girls pulled up to Progressions spa, salon and beauty store, and after a shaky parking job they proceeded into the enormous luxury salon.

"Titans," was all Terra had to say to get the three girls rushed into a private room in the back where the workers immediately began to wash and work on their hair. Starfire and Terra quickly fit in, enjoying the treatments immensely, but Raven was not so satisfied.

The first stupid girl got shampoo in her eyes and took forever and a day to get it off. The second girl nearly burnt her scalp with too hot water, and the third was hardly paying attention and scrubbed too hard as she whispered to her boyfriend in way that sounded like what she really wanted to do was shout.

When she finally made it to the chair, the girl seemed to do a lot of poking and prodding and fairly little cutting or styling of any sort. Finally, fed up, Raven dismantled herself from the chair and marched over to Terra.

"What?" the blonde asked, looking at the livid Raven. The mage crossed her arms. Terra sighed and put her magazine down. "What?"

"I'm going home,"

"You can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"It's Starfire's wedding,"

"I can do my own nails and hair, thankyouverymuch and these stupid girls keep _attacking_ my head. My _brain _has to live there, you know!" Raven snarled angrily. Terra winced.

"Do you need the car?" she asked. Raven shook her head.

"I can fly, I'll be fine," she reassured her friend. Terra nodded and went back to her reading, and then winced as a wall was blown out of the waxing station.

Okay, maybe the bikini wax _was _a bad idea. . .

* * *

Raven didn't say anything to the boys as she marched past them and locked herself in her bedroom. Once there, she took a shower, used telekinesis to paint her nails in a quarter of the time, and began to dress.

Her dress was black, with off-the-shoulder sleeves and made from velvet. It had a full skirt that swished and swung when she moved and a low waistline. In came down to right above her knees. She threw a red silk pashmina over her shoulders, and looked in the mirror. The girl staring back at her looked nice enough, she supposed. Reluctantly, she put on as little make-up as she would be allowed to get away with, and then sat down in the main room to read and wait. Her red velvet heels waited beside her.

When Robin walked in, Raven's beauty truly took his breath away. The tight dress flattered her curves, and showed off her tiny, tiny waist. Beast Boy and Cyborg stopped when they saw too. But, as two of three were attached, this didn't last long and they all hurried into the room. Raven glanced up at them with curious eyes, but soon turned back to her book.

"So, the limo arrives in half an hour, and then it's wedding bells!" Beast Boy teased Robin. Robin smiled weakly. Raven felt her heart tightened in her chest. She glanced up briefly, and felt bad. Poor Robin looked like he was going to throw up. She pitied him.

The minutes crept along, but at last it was time for the wedding. The boys and Raven loaded themselves into the car to head to the chapel where Terra and Starfire were put on a few last minute layers of makeup, and then it would be time. Robin and Raven swallowed hard.

At the chapel, Cyborg and Beast Boy shuffled Robin into the main room and Raven went, reluctantly, to see Terra and Starfire. She walked into the tiny pink room, and gasped.

Bride and bridesmaid looked lovely. Terra's golden hair was waved and flowing, with a crown of real pink roses on her head. She wore an off-the-shoulder pink dress with an empire waist and white satin ribbon sash. Some glitter was on her face and neck, and her two inch heels had been dyed to match perfectly with her outfit.

Starfire, though, was the true beauty. Her dress looked just as magnificent as it had the first time she had worn it, and her red-gold hair was groomed to perfection. Her makeup had been done so well you couldn't really tell if she was wearing any. In her hands was a bouquet of pink lilies.

"You both look beautiful," Raven congratulated her two friends. Their grins became wider.

"Too bad you're shy, we could've used another bridesmaid," Terra said almost teasingly. Raven shrugged; she wouldn't have been able to bring herself to wear pink or to help Starfire and Robin get married.

"You know what would be really romantic?" Starfire said as she watched herself moving in the mirror. Her companions looked up at her. "If Beast Boy proposed to Terra at the reception!" she squealed. Terra's blue eyes lit up.

"That would be so wonderful," she gushed blissfully. Starfire nodded. "And then we can find a boyfriend for Raven!" Terra added as the two turned to face the gothic girl. Raven made a face.

"Thanks, but I'm good for now," Raven said, knowing that whatever they brought home she wouldn't be interested in. She sighed, and watched as the girls continued to talk amongst themselves. She could hardly believe that Starfire was going to get married. To Robin. This was it.

_This was it. _

Raven inhaled sharply, feeling a little dizzy. Terra looked over at her, a little concerned.

"You okay?" she asked, placing her hand on Raven's shoulder.

"Fine," Raven reassured Terra. "I'm fine." Terra raised an eyebrow, but said nothing to Raven. Why bother? Starfire was getting married, and it was more important to look after the bride.

Right?

Starfire ran her fingers through her silky hair. Everything was happening so fast, it seemed. She was getting married to Robin, her one true love. A thrill went up her spine as she remembered that tonight would be the first time they slept together in the figurative sense. Robin, the moral upholder that he was, had insisted on waiting until their marriage. It was sweet.

Starfire looked at her two friends, wondering what it would be like in a few years or so when she was attending their weddings. Who would Raven marry? And when was Beast Boy going to propose to Terra? Oh, it was all so very thrilling and exciting!

Raven sighed, sitting in a chair and watching them. Starfire was going to go off and marry the man she was in love with. She couldn't let this happen, but she was at a loss as to what to do about it. She watched Terra as she sprayed the girls' legs with a shower of Static-be-Gone.

Raven decided to leave. She walked out, and noted all the people filing in to see the wedding. All their friends from around the world, people they had saved. Starfire's guardian looked around happily, overjoyed that about the marriage. Raven's heart ached painfully.

The girl worked her way over to the ladies' room, but had the misfortune of running into Robin on her way there. He smiled at her, and she wanted very badly to run away.

"Hey Raven," he said pleasantly. She gave a small nod, and tried to walk away from him.

"Hi Robin," she said tersely.

"I can't believe that Starfire and I are getting married. Came on so fast, didn't it?" he said, following her.

"Mm-hmm," Raven said, trying to shake him. Ah! There it was! An escape! She dashed into the women's bathroom. Robin stared at the doorfor a minute, and then decided to follow her and play like an idiot if someone caught him. However, the only person to be seen was Raven, sobbing over the sink.

"Don't cry," he pleaded, taking her into his arms. "Shh," he hissed, stroking her hair. Raven pulled herself away.

"You shouldn't be here. . . .your wedding is starting. . ." she insisted, trying to force him back out.

"Raven," he said, resisting her. He took her hands in his. "I love you. I have only thought of you for the last two months. Starfire means nothing to me when you're there. I'm not going to marry her. I don't care if you refuse me. I can't do it, not to her, not to me, not to you. I won't marry Starfire, and nothing you say can stop me, because I'm in love with you, Raven! You, and only you." Robin said, panting as he finished his speech. She leaned in and kissed him, taking him in for everything he was and all they were going to be.

"We're going," he declared, pulling away for her for a minute. Raven stared at him, flabbergasted.

"What? But where?" Raven asked him, staring.

"Gotham,"

"Gotham?"

"Yeah, I have. . .relations there. Hurry up, let's go!" He said, dragging her out by her hand. Raven paused a minute, hundreds of questions on her lips. What about Starfire? What if it was nothing but pre-married nerves? But then she looked into his eyes, and she trusted him. It was alright. Somehow, it would be okay. She nodded and then followed him. They snuck through the crowds, and got on his motorcycle. She rested her head on his back, and slipped her arms around his waist.

"This is crazy," she said, laughing.

"This is right," he told her confidently. And she held tight as they took off. This was crazy, but it felt so right . . . she didn't resist.

* * *

Starfire gasped as she felt a pang of pain in her stomach. Terra looked up at her with worried eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked, putting her skinny hand on Starfire's shoulder. The alien looked crest fallen.

"Robin's gone," she whispered, and then, if it was possible, more quietly she said "and he's not coming back." Starfire sat down and began to cry, and nothing Terra said could comfort the abandoned bride.

_Robin's gone and he's not coming back for me. . ._

Please Review!


	7. Chapter VII

Chapter Seven: Gotham

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Batman.

Author's Notes: Hello! First, thank you all for reading "Soothe". This is just to give the readers some idea of where the story is going.

This next chapter "Gotham" will spotlight Raven and Robin in a very loving manner, and have a small segment on the Titans' reactions. Chapter Eight "Blackfire" is the return of Starfire's sister trying to help the depressed princess and make amends. Later on, there will be breaking up, making up, and a special guest star.

Thanks for your encouragement, please keep it up! And remember, if you don't like characters or the pairing, know one's forcing you to read this and I couldn't care less if you think it should be 'Robin and Star 4ever!111". Please don't flame.

Peace & Love,

Luna Boulevardes

* * *

Raven was so exhausted she didn't question the strange things going on around her. First, Robin used some name she had never heard, credit cards she didn't know existed, and suddenly she being put on a first class flight from Jump City to Gotham. They would arrive in Gotham at nine-ish Eastern Standard time.

Raven curled up by Robin's side, and they held each other. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply. He smelled like soap; she liked that in a man. She enjoyed being held by him, it was so comfortable and warm. She slept in his arms.

Robin enjoyed holding her, her tiny frame fit much better. Although he had never admitted it aloud, Robin had always resented Starfire's taller frame and felt awkward holding her. He gently kissed the top of Raven's head, and she smiled in her sleep.

Robin was eager to get back to Gotham. After his parents had been killed, it had become his home. Living in the Wayne mansion had been no easy task, but being Batman's assistant had given him a lot to think about and helped him become who he was today.

Of course, he wasn't sure what the reaction would be when he said. "Oh, yeah, I was supposed to get married today but I ran out on my bride with her best friend who I realized I was madly in love with two months ago, ok?"

That would go over nicely.

He pulled Raven closed to him, and buried his nose in her silky hair. She smelled like lavender. It was kind of nice and familiar, as opposed to Starfire's spicy, exotic scent of Tamaranian things he didn't know about. Raven's cool skin felt good, and he slowly allowed himself to sleep. When he did, he slept more peacefully than he had since the death of his parents.

* * *

At the airport, Robin hailed a taxi and Raven looked around the city with wide-eyed wonder. Robin had forgotten that she wasn't familiar with big cities. Look at everything! The sights, the sounds, the different smells. She felt a million different thoughts flying around loosely, and people were shouting this way and that on invisible cell phones.

"It's big," she commented as Robin half-dragged her out to the curb so the taxi would see them.

"That's what makes it wonderful," he said, looking at the big city lights with pride. He wrapped his arm around Raven's waist, and she leaned sleepily against his side. She still wasn't quite awake, and expected at any minute Beast Boy would be telling her to wake up because she was about to miss Robin and Starfire exchange marriage vows

This was highly preferable.

As a taxi pulled up, Raven realized it was actually a limo. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out and instead numbly followed Robin into the car. No way this was happening! It was too good, too wonderful to possibly be true.

The girl glued herself to the window, and watched everything. This glowed and shined and it was spectacular. There was the theater, places that didn't play movies; they played _films_, an opera house, ballet, art museums, just everything!

Robin watched her in merriment. Raven's reaction to the city was that of a child in a candy shop. He hadn't expected her to be this excited. He watched her wide-eyed wonder, and decided that he'd have to take her out while they were there. Raven had everything right to be astonished; after all, Gotham had everything.

As they drove into the country-side, towards where the Wayne mansion was at, Raven saw the starred sky and began to roll off constellations. Orion! Sirius! The Big Dipper! She jabbered on and on, and pointed them out to Robin through the sun roof. He smiled. He had made the right decision.

At the Wayne mansion, Robin tipped the driver handsomely and Raven looked at the building with mixed intimidation and awe. Robin laughed and pulled her along side him, and he rang the doorbell.

"Can I-Master Dick?" Alfred said, staring at Robin as though he'd just had a heart attack. "What are you doing here? And who is your lovely young friend?" he asked, trying to make sense of it.

Raven hid herself behind Robin a bit, suddenly feeling incredibly shy. Her face was hot, and she didn't feel like looking this man in the eye. Everything was so big and rich and opulent here, and she felt extremely out of place. Why was Robin bringing her here?

"Hi, Alfred, it's a long story as to why I'm here, but this is Raven and we could use somewhere to stay for a while," he told the elderly butler. Alfred nodded.

"I shall have two bedrooms prepared right away, sir, and then perhaps you would like something to eat?"

"That would be very nice, and really only need one bedroom," Robin said to him. Alfred raised his eyebrows but nothing. As he went to get their things ready, Robin led Raven into the grand house.

"Why did he call you Dick?" Raven asked, looking at Robin. He blushed, and she suppressed a giggle. He was so cute when he was embarrassed.

"It's my real name. Richard Grayson," he said. Raven nodded. "What's yours?"

"Don't have one. It's always just been Raven," she said honestly. He laughed.

"Tricky."

"You're telling me."

The two stopped talking as Bruce Wayne himself entered the room. Robin's eyes widened beneath his mask, and Raven felt a knot twist in her stomach.

"How nice of you to come by, Dick." Bruce said smoothly. Raven backed up a bit. Black telekinesis played on her finger tips, ready to be used if necessary. Bruce looked at Raven as though noticing her for the first time. He smiled, and she stared. "Who is your friend?"

"Ah, Raven, this is Bruce, Bruce, this is Raven," Robin introduced the two. Raven just stared dumbly as he kissed her hand.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Bruce said to her.

"I'm sure," Raven responded in her usual emotionless tone. She pulled her hand back, and watched him with a suspicious eye. Robin was on edge. If they didn't like each other, things couldn't possibly go over well.

"Ah, I'm sure you have a lot of work to do, why don't you go ahead and Raven and I can take care of ourselves," Robin reassured the older man. Bruce paused at looked at Robin, but then nodded and left. Robin heard Raven breathe a sigh of relief. "He doesn't bite, ya know," Robin said laughingly. Raven blushed.

"I just didn't feel comfortable," she said honestly. She shrugged her bony shoulders, and Robin took her in his arms. He kissed her long and hard, running his fingers through her hair and over her arms.

"Ahem," the two pulled away as they saw Alfred standing there after clearing his throat. "You room is ready, it's number twenty-one. Would you still like something to eat or would you rather go to bed?" Alfred asked, watching them closely. Their faces were branded with embarrassment.

"Ah, bed…?" he asked looking at Raven. She nodded. Head down, she followed him up the marble stairs. Robin flew past the doors, and finally arrived at the one meant for them. He opened the door, and Raven followed.

The room had a large bed taking up most of it, done with blue bedding. There was a sun room off it, closed off with large French doors. The walls were painted green, and roman columns were in each corner. To the left there was an arch way, and in the room off it was a lovely fountain and three doors. Two led to huge walk-in closets and one went to an ornate bathroom. But they didn't explore it, and instead got into the bed.

The first thing they did was to kiss. Her slender arms were wrapped around his neck, clinging to him. Eventually his tongue entered her mouth, and it became more intense. She undid the button on his shirt, and spread her hands over his chest, tracing the lines of muscle on his stomach again. As before, he groaned into her mouth, making her dizzy with passion.

He began to unzip the back of her dress. She stiffened for a minute, but then relaxed. This was going very far very fast, but she didn't care. She loved him. She loved him. She loved him.

His hot hands felt refreshing over her stomach and chest, and took his affection willingly. As the hours passed, more and more layers fell off until finally they were naked and well into the throes of passion love making. And neither of them thought of the others, or the others' reactions. They had each other, and at the time it seemed to be all they needed to survive.

* * *

"What do you make of her?" Alfred asked his wealthy employer. Bruce frowned.

"Naïve," he said. Alfred gave him a funny look, and motioned for him to continue with an explanation. Bruce sighed, but then continued. "She seems to like him a lot," Bruce said, gesturing towards the upstairs. "But she doesn't know what she's getting into. She just ran off with a guy at his wedding. I doubt it was a very thought through plan." Bruce said. "She might find it harder to have a relationship with him beyond something physical, which they'll need to make it last."

Alfred nodded, and said nothing. He pitied the girl. It seemed that neither knew exactly what they were doing or what was going on, at that could only lead to chaos. It was not that he disliked his employer's young charge, but it seemed to him that much more thought needed to go into this relationship. But he wasn't going to be the one to talk them. This was their problem, let the cards fall where they may.

* * *

In Titans' Tower, everything was quiet and somber. Starfire was in her bed, too numb to cry anymore. Hours of searching, and a witness account that "the groom dude was making out in the bathroom with a girl who looked like Audrey Hepburn with purple hair" had confirmed what Starfire had said to Terra earlier; Robin was gone and he wasn't coming back for Starfire.

"Dude, I can't believe Robin just walked out on his own wedding like that," Beast Boy said in the main room, where he sat with Terra and Cyborg. They nodded.

"And with Raven. Her two best friends." Terra said sadly. She sighed, and stared down at her coffee cup. Starfire had been so upset. At first she just cried and cried, but then she just. . . stopped. It was as though someone had turned off a switch in her. Now the alien princess was just lying in her bed, and try as they might to help Starfire made it clear that she had no plans of getting out ever again.

"How could they do this?" Terra questioned to no avail. Cyborg gritted his teeth. He saw this coming. He should've done something. He could've done something. Instead, he allowed it to go on behind Starfire's back and now Robin and Raven were off in god knows where. He got up, and went to Starfire's room.

The pink room was dark and dreary with her grief filling it. The Evanescence song "Hello" was playing on her CD player, and as Cyborg walked in it hit it's climax "Suddenly I know that I'm not sleeping. . . !"

"Aw, Star, I'm so sorry," he said, putting his hand over hers. Starfire looked up at him, her normally bright eyes dead and listless.

"Stay," she begged him, the one word the only one able to pass her lips. He nodded, and she smiled weakly. He brushed her hair off her face, and put a metal hand on her shoulder. She shut her eyes, and in time she slept.

Cyborg knew, he stayed up to watch over her.

Please Review!


	8. Chapter VIII

Chapter Eight: Blackfire

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, or "Sushi for Beginners" by Marian Keyes.

Author's notes: sorry it's so short, I just had to give a little attention to Starfire. Also, sorry her feelings might not be in line with what really happens. Anyway, onto Chapter VIII. Enjoy!

* * *

Starfire was not getting any better. As a matter of fact, she was steadily growing worse. Three weeks had passed, and it was the beginning of July. Starfire took no interest in eating, washing. . . anything. She stayed in bed, sometimes crying, but more often just lying there, staring at the ceiling.

The Titans were worried.

"If she doesn't get out within a week, I'm calling in a shrink and getting some drugs for her. This can't go on, she's going to end up hurting herself," Cyborg said earnestly. Terra and Beast Boy nodded their agreement.

Things were much harder. With only three Titans, battles were longer and more exhausting. Cyborg had taken over as leader, and Terra and Beast Boy fell back. Summer was a high crime season. Teenagers were out of school, so they had to arrest kids. And if they weren't stealing, there were more people around who could get hurt if they weren't shuffled to safety.

And during summer, the heat went to villains' heads and they became more aggressive. They had battled Dr. Light twice in the past week already. Things would cool down in August, but until then two Titans were MIA and one was down. Cyborg sighed. Things were not looking good for the Teen Titans of Jump City, California.

For the third time that week, they ordered in Chinese and it was brought to Starfire's room on a tray, were she took no interest and made the other three sink deeper into sadness and worry. They walked down the hall unhappily, glaring at Robin and Raven's rooms, which were under lock down.

"If I ever find either of them, I'll kill em." Cyborg vowed. Terra and Beast Boy nodded their resolve.

"I still can hardly believe they did it. They were Starfire's best friends. .. and then they went and did this to her!" Terra shouted, throwing her skinny arms into the still air.

"Seriously, that was really low. I mean, like, even villain low," Beast Boy contributed. He shuddered. If Terra had left him standing at the altar and run off with Cyborg or someone he would've hunted them down and killed them with his bare hands.

The Titans were upset. Everything was chaotic, and spinning slowly out of control. Nothing they said or did was helping their sick friend. They needed a miracle. And they needed it soon, or Starfire might not give herself that much longer to live.

* * *

Blackfire sat on a train, listening to the sounds of Earth people. They spoke many languages, argued a lot, got back together a lot and had very busy lives, she discovered. Not that she cared much. She had one goal and one goal only: get to Starfire. After their guardian's return from the wedding-that-never-was, Blackfire had kept an eye on Terran news.

She quickly discovered, via the tabloids, that her sister as not taking it so well. And she became concerned. After all this time, she had done her time and come around. Therapists had diagnosed her with 'agitated depression'. It other words, she was sad and it caused her to act out. Okay, fine. They talked to her, and shoved drugs down her throat, and convinced an angry government to let her back on Tamaran.

Yay, right?

Well, not quite. She never made amends with her sister, and Starfire made it painfully clear that she didn't want to see Blackfire. But Blackfire was determined to find someway into her sister's heart, and here it was. She got off the train, entering Jump City. She had one bag with her, and a little money. She walked down to the street, and hailed a taxi cab.

The driver babbled on happily about the sights in Jump City as he took Blackfire to Titans' Tower. She didn't concern herself with him, but instead paid an abnormal amount of attention to the grass and water they were going by. When the noisy driver at last dropped her off, she flew up an knocked on a window. There they were!

Oh, wait, they didn't look so happy to see her. . .

"Eep!" she screeched as Cyborg blew up the window. They looked at her with deep hatred.

"What do you want, Blackfire, Starfire's already upset enough as it is," Beast Boy growled.

"No! I'm good now! I swear! See?" Blackfire said, holding up a stone slab. Terra summoned it and handed it off to Cyborg. After all, he spoke Tamaranian. The Robot scrutinized it with his robotic eye.

"It's for real," he admitted grudgingly. Blackfire smiled.

"Any-way, I came to see my sister. I've been reading the Terran tabloids, and they say Star isn't doing so good," Blackfire reported, hoping they wouldn't turn her away.

"Yeah, she's really upset about the whole wedding thing. . ." Terra said, her voice trailing off. Blackfire put down her bag and began to march to Starfire's room. The three Titans exchanged looks and followed her.

"Hello!" Blackfire said cheerily as she burst into Starfire's room. The younger alien looked up in surprise. Blackfire was now pulled the curtains open.

"What? What's going on?" Starfire asked, shielding her eyes from the in coming sunlight. Bright!

"Look, I've been keeping up with the tabloids, and you're depressed. I'm here to help you," Blackfire said earnestly. Starfire gave her a doubtful look. "I know the signs, I was depressed. Come on," Blackfire said. Starfire shook her head and looked away.

"Have you been washing?"

"No,"

"Eating?"

"No,"

"Suicidal thoughts?"

"Not yet," Goody, she had those to look forward to!

"See, you're depressed," Blackfire said, sitting down next to Starfire. "Please, let me help you," she pleaded. Starfire sighed.

"Whatever," she mumbled, not caring. Blackfire picked the girl out of bed, and carried her to the adjoining bathroom. With some help from a stunned Terra, they washed the younger Tamaranian and dressed her.

"Now," Blackfire said, "we go out into society. First, we'll get you some drugs and then lunch, okay?" she said almost perkily. Starfire sighed.

"Please, can I just go back to bed? I rather like it there. . ." Starfire said. Blackfire shook her head.

"No more bed for you!" she said. Turning to the Titans, she asked "Are you coming or not?" the three quickly followed the two.

After much hassling, Blackfire achieved getting Starfire some Prozac. The older sister was very delighted with this turn of events, and babbled on about how good it would be for her younger sister as Starfire did her best to ignore her. It wasn't working that well.

Finally, the Titans and Blackfire stopped by a fast food joint to get lunch. Starfire perked up a bit when she saw the little toys. She smiled as she played with them.

"They are so adorable and small," she cooed, picking up a Beanie Baby brand toy kitten. Its bead eyes stared up at her, and its pink yarn mouth smiled encouragingly. For the first time in a month, Starfire grinned.

On their way out, they passed by a salon. Starfire stopped in her tracks, and the Titans held their breaths. She entered, and the other four scurried along behind her.

"Hi, my name is Starfire. I'm with the Teen Titans. Could I arrange a hair cut please?" she asked pleasantly.

"Of course!" the girl at the desk shouted excitedly. She ran back, and after five minutes of frenzied arguing, an elderly blonde woman came out to cut Starfire's hair. The Titans exchanged looks among each other. What was their friend up to?

Starfire followed her to the back of the salon, and inhaled deeply as she stared in the mirror.

"What do you want to do with it, hun?" the woman asked, pleased that she was cutting the hair of Teen Titan.

"Cut it all off."

"What?"

"Cut it off for Locks of Love, and then I'd like a pixie cut," Starfire said determinedly. Robin had always been talking about her pretty hair. No more! Her sister was right for once; something had to change. And this was the beginning. Starfire watched as snippet by snippet her beautiful golden-red hair fell to the ground. At last it was over, and she went out to see the Titans. "What do you think?"

"Your hair!" Terra shouted the first to speak. "What did you do?"

"I cut it, silly!" Starfire said, running her hand through the shortened locks. "Do you hate it?"

"I love it!" Blackfire said to her sister proudly. Terra nodded her agreement. Starfire smiled. She felt better already.

* * *

A week later, the Tamaranian princesses bid each other goodbye. As Starfire shut the door behind Blackfire, a look of sadness crossed over her face. Only Cyborg caught it, as Terra and Beast Boy were gone.

"You ok?" he asked, clapping a metallic hand on her shoulder.

"Honestly? My sister's been putting the tooth paste on my tooth brush for the past week and now that she's gone I don't know how I'm going to manage to brush my teeth!" Starfire said, suddenly bursting into tears as all the week's work was undone.

"Shh," he said, holding her. Starfire rested her head on his wide metal chest. Cool and smooth. . .

She looked up and kissed him.

Please Review!


	9. Chapter IX

Chapter Nine: Catalyst

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Batman.

Raven felt out of place in the huge mansion. She constantly felt Bruce Wayne looked down on her and resented her presence and that Alfred pitied her. She did not like to be pitied.

Robin tried to comfort her and be the Good Boyfriend, but things just weren't good. Robin liked spending time with Bruce, working at gadgets or whatever it was that they did. He seemed to expect her to be shopping all day or something like Starfire did. And other times he thought she just read or meditated all day.

"You take no interest in me at all!" Raven had shouted at him during one of their arguments, which were becoming more and more frequent. And that was exactly how she felt. He only talked to her during sex, which hardly qualified. She was sick of it.

Raven sighed in frustration as she awoke to an empty bed yet again. It was the beginning of August, and she missed the romance and intimacy they had shared during the first two months in the Wayne mansion. She sighed again, and reluctantly dragged herself out of bed.

She was about to go downstairs when she stopped herself. Running water. . .Robin was taking a shower. She spent a full minute debating, and then walked towards the bathroom.

The warm water fell good as she teleported next to Robin. She pressed hr body against his, wrapping her arms around him. He blinked, feeling her warmth against him. That was very nice. . .

"Good morning to you too," he said, turning around and kissing her. She laughed, and kissed him back, putting her hands in his slick wet hair. Okay, so he paid no attention to her normally, but this made it ok. For now, anyway.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, setting herself in a comfortable position. Her hands were running over his back, and he was kissing her neck as he pressed her against the wall. She put her head back and groaned.

But before she knew it, it was all over and done with. He kissed her cheek and walked out, and suddenly she felt hollow and empty. She walked over to the mirror, staring. She'd lost weight. That wasn't good.

Raven sighed, wondering what she would do with herself today. Try was she might, she just found herself more lonesome, bored, and upset with each passing day. It was beginning to annoy her. This wasn't how it was supposed to turn out. This wasn't right.

She'd given up the only stable thing she had ever known, and now Robin had no time for her or anything. All he had time for was him, and whatever he did during the day that he didn't want her to be a part of.

It hurt.

Raven pulled a comb through her tangled hair, tugging harder to get it right. She ran her fingers through it, and it fell into place. She went into the room and got dressed, wearing a dark violet tank top and black sweatpants. Again, she was obsessed with the mirror. When had she gotten so damn skinny? She looked like Terra, only worse.

Raven went downstairs, and was not surprised that, yet again, Robin was gone. Of course. How typical. Alfred served her breakfast, but Raven only poked at it. It wasn't interesting and she really wasn't hungry anyway. Raven sighed. She was so unhappy. This was not the way it was supposed be. Robin had promised to love her and make her happy.

She was miserable.

Raven sat down in front of the TV, and flipped it on. Watching TV seemed to be all she was good for these days. She sighed. Nothing was on, as usual. She laid down on the couch. She had discovered that the best thing to do when she was abandoned was to sleep. It meant not thinking, not 'finding something to do with herself', and she had plenty of energy for Robin when night rolled around.

Raven closed her eyes, and tried to envision something relaxing and nice. She rolled over, not finding anything come to mind. She scanned her mind for anything relaxing, but nothing was comforting her.

Raven walked upstairs, and entered her bathroom. She ran a wash cloth under cool water, and then laid down and put it on her forehead. She was just beginning to fall asleep when something loud sounded. She bolted up right and stared at the door. Only a second of thinking was necessary before she ran down the stairs.

"What's going on?" Raven shouted, looking around. She ran around the first floor, but found nothing. Rather than wait around, because she _knew _no one would tell her what had happened, she dashed outside. Ah ha! There it was. The gardening shed had exploded. Well, a wall of it anyway. She flew over.

"What's happening out here?" Raven asked, approaching the three men she saw gathering there.

"Nothing!" Robin assured her. "Now, go back in the house Raven," he said, already shuffling her out.

"HEY!" Raven shouted, whipping around to face him. "Look here! I don't know what's going on, or where you always are, but I'm sick and tired of it! What's with all the secrets, Robin? Why don't you trust me?" Raven asked, looking at him with pain in her eyes. He sighed.

"Nothing's going on, Raven. Everything's fine," he said to her. "Now, go back inside. I'll see you later," he told her. Surprised and hurt, she walked back to the house obediently.

_What am I to him? Some damn dog? Around when it's convenient, caged away when it's not? _Raven thought, fuming. _How dare he! Who does he think he is anyway? And perhaps more importantly . . ._

_. . .who does he think **I am**?

* * *

_

Robin sighed. He didn't like keeping secrets from Raven, but he didn't think she would fit in well with him and Batman. Besides, she could get hurt. Look at the explosion that had just happened! He had gotten hurt. Batman had gotten hurt. Alfred had gotten hurt, and he had only been bringing by some snacks. Robin was not about to allow Raven to put herself at risk.

Regardless, though, she was pissed at him now. She had been for a while, it seemed, and this was only the tip of the iceberg. He frowned. Okay, he needed to talk with Raven. Or better yet, take her out for a romantic dinner or something. Yeah, that'd be good.

Robin smiled, his decision made. Okay, he would take her out for a romantic dinner. He knew loads of great places around Gotham, and all he had to do was drop his name, or better yet, Bruce's. He turned around to face his older friend.

"Hey, can I borrow your credit card?" Robin asked Bruce. Batman raised his eyebrow.  
"Why do you need it?" he asked, looking at Robin out of the corner of his eye as he worked on their new explosive. Robin twitched slightly as he looked at it. Someone could get hurt. . . .

"Raven's pissed at me, thought I'd take her out. She's been cooped up way too long for her tastes. I know," Robin said laughing a little. Ah, his sweet little Raven. She was so nice, and sweet. Raven loved him, and he was glad he had her instead of Starfire.

Robin turned back to the explosives, and began tinkering around with them. Switch a wire there, snip something here. . . .

BOOM!

* * *

Robin walked into their bedroom and found Raven sleeping. She looked so adorable like that! He almost felt guilty about waking her up. . . 

Eh, not that guilty.

"Hey you," he said, leaning for and kissing her chakra gently. Raven blinked and looked up. She could get used to be woken up like that. . . it was nice. Sweet. Not the usual horny sex monster she had become accustomed to.

"Hey yourself," she said, kissing his lips gently. "You finally came in! What's going on, you're early," she commented.

"I was thinking that we could out for dinner tonight. . ." he said, watching her face for any sign of her thoughts. Unfortunately, the downside of living with Raven was that she was trained in hiding her emotions, which meant that he was on his own to state his case. "Anyway, I know some great places for good food, and I thought it would be nice to spend some time together. What do you say?"

Robin looked at her with hope, and Raven titled her head, thinking. He waited for her decision.

"Ok," she said. "Should I get dressed up?" she asked, and her eyes were almost hopeful. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, you do that," he told her. "I can get some stuff out of my old room," he said. Raven nodded.

Robin left the room, satisfied. He slipped into his tux, and then went downstairs to get dinner. After all, he had decided, what was more romantic than making your girlfriend dinner? It was better than getting out, because it would be private.

What's going on with this talk of staying _in_? Oh, Robin. . .

* * *

Raven was so happy at the thought of going out that she even put on make-up. She looked at herself in the mirror, very happy. She was wearing a slinky red mini-dress she had bought herself and was done up nicely. She had red barrettes in her hair, which had few curls thrown in for fun. 

On the town in Gotham! How wonderful! Would they go to a club? Or no, maybe somewhere really nice for a candle lit dinner where the waiters spoke a foreign language and flirted with every woman who walked in, with the whole kiss-the-hand and things.

Would it be a French place with great wine, or a Spanish place where they only served tapas? Maybe an Italian place with lots of yummy carb-y foods? Or a Greek place! With those little spinach pies and cinnamon desserts! Raven was getting more and more excited.

Would Robin make reservations? Would they eat outside or inside? Would they stay for coffee and dessert or just have meals? How much alcohol would they have? Buckets and buckets or just a glass or maybe even none at all? Would they have sex later or just cuddle?

Cuddling was fun. She liked cuddling. Although sex was fun too, just to be fair. Raven smiled. She loved the feelings of his over her body, and she loved the intense pleasure. She loved feeling him inside of her, and she loved the warmth he radiated best of all.

Checking the time, Raven decided it was time to go down. If Robin wasn't there already, he would probably be there soon. She walked down, her heels from the wedding clacking against the floor. Click, clack, clomp. Then she was there, and watching Robin in confusion.

Why was he in the kitchen? That was stupid. They were going out to eat, hel-lo! Raven frowned, and walked up to him.

"Hey," he said, smiling at her. Smiling was bad. She felt a knot in her stomach. This couldn't possibly end well, she just knew it. Raven inhaled deeply, suddenly a bit dizzy. . . that was weird. What was wrong with her?

"Um, Robin, what happened to going out?" she asked, trying her very hardest to keep her tone calm and even.

"I thought it would be romantic and private," Robin said, smiling at her. Raven looked at him as those he had just suggested that it might be romantic to go through garbage together.

Yuck.

"Robin, I wanted to go out! I wanted to get out of here! I've been cooped up for months! And all you do all day is go outside with Bruce and Alfred and do gods knows what! And then you come back at night and you say nothing to me! We don't talk, we don't cuddle, we don't do anything romantic, just sex-sex-sex! We don't go out or anything! What is wrong with you!" Raven screamed, all her anger and frustration over loading.

"HEY! I was trying to be romantic and kind and thoughtful!" Robin yelled at her. Raven rolled her eyes.

"I'm going upstairs," she said, glaring angrily at him. Robin lunged forth and grabbed her arm.

"What do you think you're doing!" she shouted, trying to release herself from his grip.

"I worked really hard to get this ready for you! Now sit down so we can eat!" Robin shouted.

"No!" Raven exclaimed, yanking hard out of his grip.

"Aw, go to hell!" he said, livid. Raven stopped dead and her eyes widened. Robin gasped as he realized what he had said to her. "Oh, Raven, I'm so sorry. . ." he said, but it was too late. She was literally shaking with anger.

"Get out of here," she said, looking at him with pure hating and loathing. Robin looked at her with loss. "I said get out of here!" she screamed angrily. Robin backed away. Her dark telekinesis tentacles spawned all over the house, and things began to explode. She threw several lamps at Robin, and he ran away.

"I'm sorry. . ." he whispered, but she wasn't having any of it.

"I never want to see you again," she growled, and slammed the front door in his face. Robin watched the door a minute, and then began to walk into the rain. He'd need a hotel room…

* * *

Inside, Bruce and Alfred watched Raven. She stayed at the door a minute, panting and looking scared. Then, she collapsed onto her knees, and began to cry. They watched her, not knowing what to do or what to make of her. They had nothing for her, nothing at all.

Please Review!


	10. Chapter X

Chapter Ten: Batgirl

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Batman, or Batgirl.

Author's Notes: Don't worry; this will be a Robin-Raven fic. The two birds will be back after a short pause! In this chapter, "Batgirl" out guest star enters as Terra prepares to come to Gotham after seeing that Robin checked into a hotel room. Next chapter, news of a visitor!

Peace & Love,

Luna Boulevardes

* * *

Jim Gordon sat in his office, going over case after case after case. These were the cold files that hadn't been looked at in years, where the killer was never found. He sighed, remembering thesad case of John and Mary Grayson. Tragic, very tragic. Still, Dick Grayson was now a rich, lucky brat who had the privilege of being the adopted son of Bruce Wayne. Not most orpahns were so lucky.

He shifted through a few more things, and then looked up in surprise when Bruce Wayne himself walked through the door. He blinked.

"Can I help you, Mr. Wayne?" Jim asked, looking at him with mixed confusion and curiosity. Bruce sighed.

"You have a daughter, don't you?" he asked hesitantly. Jim looked at him strangely. That was an odd question. . .

"Um, yes, yes I do." Jim said, clearing his throat importantly. Barbara had just gotten out of college, and would be coming back to Gotham for a while to work and earn a little money before she was in the real world. That way, she'd have a little for an apartment of her own and a steady job on her resume.

"I will pay her an insane amount of money- just name your price-to look after the girl living in my house," Bruce begged in way that made Jim pity him.

"I'm sure Barbara would be . . . delighted to drop by and check it out," the detective said slowly.

"Good," Bruce said. "Very good, I'll see you later then," he strutted out of the building with a smile on his face.

Since Raven had kicked Robin out to the house (he was still wondering how'd she'd managed to get him out of his own home!), she slept most of the time and was an absolute misery. She didn't eat, she didn't wash, she didn't do anything at all. And neither he nor Alfred knew how to respond to a young woman.

Not to say they hadn't tried. They did everything they could; cleaned for her, talked to her, brought her books, fed her . . . she was an absolute nightmare anyway. Her room was never clean for long. She had no interest in the books. Everything that she ate she threw up, and no one knew why (a bad appointment with therapist proven it wasn't bulimia). And conversation? Burst into tears and released chaos every time.

The one time Bruce had mentioned she might go back to Jump City ended badly. She wailed incessantly, and all around the house things began to spontaneously self-combust. Bruce never brought the subject up again.

With Barbara coming down though, she'd have a companion and better yet it would be someone who had known Robin and could possibly reconcile them. Would that ever be nice! Bruce smiled. Who said billionaires were stuck up and did no good for anyone but themselves?

* * *

Raven stared in the mirror. She looked like a cross between a WWII soldier with serious PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and a famine victim. She was so skinny now that none of her clothes fit, and yet her stomach bulged forth, swollen. It had been two and a half weeks since she had thrown Robin out of the mansion, and she felt a little guilty.

_She missed him!_

She missed being held. She missed the little snatches of talking. She missed showering with him. And she had a million little things she wanted to tell him, like how the dawn smelled from the sunroom this morning, and how her tongue felt against the top of her mouth now that she'd burnt it drinking hot coffee.

She wanted the little things like watching him work out, and when he'd kiss her forehead. She wanted to slip into the bed drunk and have wild sex, screaming promises she never intended to keep. She wanted to feel his hair under her finger tips. She wanted to wake up so early she got to watch him sleep.

_Oh, she missed him!_

Raven sighed, and flipped on the TV. That was about all she had the energy to do these days. September was closing in quickly, and she wasn't sure what was in store. She couldn't go back to Jump City, and she had a feeling Bruce and Alfred would not tolerate having her in Gotham forever, especially if Golden Boy Robin was not approving it.

Why did she make him leave? Talk about stupid decisions! He had been the best thing to happen to her and she had thrown it into the rain out of spite and anger. Raven cried. The TV blared on, and she cried.

"Miss Raven?" it was a question. She looked at Alfred. He cringed. She was so thin her breasts sagged down into her chest and her face was drawn. She was pale, with long, slender, cigarette fingers. He was concerned for the poor girl's health. The butler made a mental note about a doctor's appointment for her.

Yay Alfred!

"What?" she asked, wiping her tears away from her face. She looked down, and her abdomen stuck out and got in the path of her feet. What the hell was wrong with her anyway?

"Master Bruce has called in a . . . companion for you," Alfred said, picking his words carefully. He really did not want to upset her any further.

"Alright. . ." Raven said, a bit curious now. She ran her fingers through her hair. She took a quick look in the mirror. Clean white top, clean jeans. They would have to do. She surprised herself when she realized her legs could barely support her body. Raven fell back, but Alfread caught her. She cast him a grateful look. He was much nicer to her than Bruce was.

"Perhaps you would prefer the elevator?" he asked. She nodded. He allowed her to cling to his arm and be supported while they walked down the hall.

Downstairs, she spied two people. One was an older man, perhaps in his forties or fifties, with glasses, a drawn face and light brown hair. Beside him was a girl with light brown hair and blue eyes, who looked about college age. She had on jeans and a green t-shirt with a yellow scarf draped stylishly on her neck. Raven scrutinized them, and slowly walked forth.

* * *

Scrawny was the first word that came to Barbara's mind upon seeing the girl. She was short and skinny, and looked as though she might collapse at any given moment. She warily extended a hand, and Barbara felt as though she was dealing with an easily excited cat.

"You must be Raven," she said, trying to break the ice. Well, that didn't work. The girl gave her a skittish look.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, her voice shaking a little bit. Barbara frowned.

"Didn't you know we were coming?" she asked. Raven shook her head.

"No one tells me anything around here," she said with a defeated sigh. She sat down, and the Gordons sat too. She looked very tired. Barbara felt sort of bad for the girl.

"Why are you here?" she asked, as though trying to recall something. Jim began to speak but his daughter cut him off.

"Bruce Wayne wants to hire me to be a companion to you," Barbara said bluntly. Raven considered it. She liked that this girl hadn't beaten around the bush. At least someone around here would tell her like it was. Raven went over it carefully. A companion . . . was that anything like a friend? She hoped so. Although she'd stick needles in her eyeballs before she admitted it, she missed Terra and Starfire and their stupid antics.

"I'd like that," Raven said slowly, still thinking about it a bit. "I think I would really like that," she smiled slightly. Barbara nodded. So it was settled then. Bruce Wayne would feed her, board her, and give her a crazy amount of money to look after skittish-cat-girl here.

Sweet!

* * *

As Barbara sat in her bedroom for what would be the last time for a while,she thought about her new charge.

First, she was absolutely terrified of Barbara, it seemed. Not that Barbara blamed her. A little interrogating had led her to find out that no one really did do anything to help Raven. She was sort on her own all the time. And she was fighting with her boyfriend, that couldn't be good. Barbara wondered what Robin could've said to make her so mad and him so guilty that he was kicked out of his own house.

But, Robin was fine, she knew. He was living in the Wayne Hotel, and enjoying seeing the sights of Gotham, a little shopping and working out. Some business matters needed to be taken care of too, but he didn't tell and Barbara didn't ask. She wondered if she should mention him to Raven.

Most importantly, though, the first thing was going to do at her new job was drag Raven in to see a doctor. She was too thin as any idiot could see. Barbara was not about to have her die on the job. Nope, not happening. They were could see Dr. Livingston, the woman who looked after Barbara. She was a nice woman who could handle any situation thrown her way.

Seeing that she didn't need to unpack, Barbara sat down in front of the TV. She stated tomorrow, and until then there was nothing to do but wait.

* * *

Beast Boy was startled as a refreshed looking Starfire had entered the room. She had made MANY life changes since the wedding incident. First the hair cut, and then she changed her uniform.

Now she wore an outfit similar to Blackfire's, although hers was belly bearing still and the gems on her hands and throat were green. The protectors on her arms helped her defense and aimers on her arms helped her shoot starbolts as they locked on a target. Also, she was more versatile after ditching long purple boots and indulging in small silver bootlettes, rather like Raven's although no one mentioned that.

Her latest change was convincing people that "Teen Titans" was no longer appropriate and officially changing the name to simply "The Titans". It earned them much more respect.

As she walked in now, she was wearing baggy gray sweatpants and a huge lavender sweater. Starfire sighed as she helped herself to a steaming cup of coffee. It was early.

"You look like you just got laid," Beast Boy said with a smirk. Starfire met it with one of her own, now becoming more common.

"Maybe I did," she retorted. Beast Boy stared. His video game was forgotten.

"Are you serious?" he asked, looking at her in disbelief. Starfire laughed. "Dude! Who's the lucky guy?" It now in the brief silence that Beast Boy heard Terra's voice;

"Cy, you look like you just got laid!"

"Maybe I did,"

* * *

Starfire and Cyborg? Well whoda thunk it! Terra thought happily as she packed her bags. She was heading out for Gotham. Extensive research (aka a tabloid magazine) and negotiation (aka an argument with the manager of the Wayne Hotel) had yielded that Robin, and Robin alone, was indeed checked in there. And she was off for a little confrontation.

Terra had discovered through online research that Robin had connections to Bruce Wayne, and hacking into the security system had shown that Raven was there. Without Robin. Strange, but Terra was never the one to judge on those things. Now all she had to do was get down to Gotham and go talk to Raven.

Um, good luck with that.

As Terra completed her packing job, she slipped her plane tickets into her coat pocket. Very good! Now all she had left to do was confront the Titans. They didn't know about that little outing she had planned. . .

Terra sighed. She knew it was for the best. Robin and Raven needed to come back to Jump City. Things hadn't been the same without everyone there. Everything had changed. Enough was enough already. At least she wanted to know that they were safe.

"Hey guys," Terra said as she walked into the main room. They stared at her.

"Why are you out of uniform?" Cyborg asked, looking at the girl with a critical eye. Terra giggled. She tended to do that when she was nervous.

"Look, I planned a little trip . . . I found some evidence that Raven and Robin may be in Gotham. I'm flying out there tonight, and I'll be staying there a while. I'll call in when my plans are absolute," she reassured them.

"Are you sure?" Beast Boy asked, giving her an incredulous look. "You could be gone for, like, ever!" he whined.

"Yeah, and what if Raven and Robin don't want to see you?" Cyborg pointed out to her. Terra sighed.

"I won't know that until I get there. And no offense, but I'm the best one for the job. BB would get distracted, and not be taken seriously. Cyborg is needed here to lead, because none of us are very good at it. And with Starfire. . . well, yeah." Terra finished. "Look, I'll be fine and I promise to call, okay?" she said. "Communicator is online," she said laughingly.

"Well, good luck," Cyborg said, clapping her shoulder.

"We will miss you, friend!" Starfire exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

"Bye," Beast Boy said sadly. He hugged her, and then kissed her hard. She smiled at them, and disappeared through the door.

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	11. Chapter XI

Chapter Eleven: Pregnant

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Batman.

Terra reclined in the comfortable seat she had been provided with via the government in first class on the airplane. Champagne, really good chocolate cake, filet minion, creamy potato soup, broccoli drizzled with cheese sauce . . . life was good. She sighed, and looked out the window dreamily.

"Hey, how about we go back there sweet thing?" It took Terra a moment to realize that the slimy asshole was talking to her. Her eyes narrowed as she whipped around to face him.

"I have a boyfriend," she said, looking him straight in the eye.

"He'll never have to know . . ." Terra punched him hard across the face. She hated jerks.

"Let's make a deal. You crawl back into the hole you spawned from and I won't beat you up," Terra growled. He whimpered and nodded, and she let him go. Sitting back down, she smiled. Sometimes being a Titan came in very, very handy.

* * *

As Barbara entered the Wayne mansion, and the first thing she did was head to the kitchen to get some food. She smiled at Alfred as she entered.

"How ya doing?" she asked, picking up a banana from the fruit bowl.

"Very well. And you, Miss Barbara?" he inquired politely. She shrugged.

"It'll be interesting to see how this works out," she said, reclining against the counter. "But first things first. Where's Raven at?" she asked.

"Miss Raven is still sleeping," Alfred said. "She's in room twenty-one," Barbara nodded and dashed up the marble staircase. Upon arrival, she threw open the door and flipped on all the lights.

Raven bolted up in surprise. She blinked, and it took her a moment to remember who the strange young woman in her bedroom was. She looked the clock, and groaned.

"It's nine. It's far too early to be awake," Raven complained. She pulled her covers back over her head. Barbara sighed. Okay, so it might be a bit more difficult that originally anticipated. . .

Ya think?

"Come on!" Barbara said, yanking the sheets off of Raven. Raven stared up at her, speechless. Barbara looked at Raven determinedly, and Raven had the feeling she'd soon have no choice but to get up. "How tall are you?" she asked suddenly, startling Raven.

"5'4," she responded to the odd question.

"Weight?"

"Eighty-five pounds," _And dropping, _Raven added the last part to herself silently. Barbara looked worried.

"Okay, get dressed. Then you'll have breakfast, and then we're going to a doctor. I'm making the appointment for ten-thirty," she said. Raven nodded dumbly, and watched Barbara leave the room. She felt like she had been standing in the path of a truck, caught in the head lights and only now that they were off of her could she ask

"What just happened?"

* * *

When Raven came downstairs, she was immediately pushed into the kitchen. There awaited a huge feast with every breakfast and brunch food imaginable.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I just said to make everything. Eat up," Barbara encouraged Raven. Raven sat down and stared, dumbfounded.

"I can't eat all this! I can't eat _any_ of this!" Raven declared, her violet eyes wide with disbelief.

"You can't not eat it either," Barbara said sternly. Raven was taken aback. She wasn't accustomed to people ordering her to eat when she wasn't hungry, or to get up when she was still tired. Being away from Jump City had spoiled her. Now, this was new again, and a little frightening. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts about it.

"I'm not hungry. Besides, anything I eat I'll probably end up throwing up five minutes later anyway, so there's no point," Raven said. She pushed her plate away from her. Alfred and Barbara exchanged looks. This _was_ going to harder than they thought.

"Just a little, you can't afford to lose much more weight. . ." Barbara said, her voice trailing off at the death glare Raven was giving her. The mage sighed. She didn't have the energy to battle about this.

"I'll have just a plain bagel. No butter, no cream cheese, nothing. And a cup of herbal tea. Any flavor will do," she said. Barbara grinned in triumph. First battle of the day won!

"To go?" Alfred asked, gesturing towards the clock. Barbara nodded. Alfred put the tea in a topped coffee cup and simply handed the bagel to Raven, who accepted it half-heartedly.

"Let's go," Barbara urged her, pulling Raven along by her arm. Raven did her best to keep up.

They took a booked taxi to Dr. Livingston's office, and waited patiently for the doctor to get to Raven. While they sat in the waiting room, Raven became increasingly uncomfortable. Women were staring and pointing at her and whispering. She sort of wanted to hide behind Barbara. Instead, she shut her eyes.

_If I can't see you, then you can't see me!_

Perhaps it was childish, but she was desperate. Raven did not like doctors, doctors' offices, or waiting rooms. She did not like gossipy rumors, and she hated being dragged somewhere against her will. But at the point, it didn't matter. Her life was not her own anymore. She simply existed, with other people controlling what happened to her.

She was exhausted. Raven wanted to go home and go back to bed, but she had a feeling it wouldn't be allowed. This Barbara girl seemed determined to change Raven's behavior in everyway possible, even if Raven herself wasn't having any of it.

"Miss Raven?" the nurse questioned, poking her head into the room. Barbara shuffled the smaller girl out of the waiting room and into the doctor's room. Raven shuddered. The nurse did all the normal things, like taking her blood pressure, checking her breathing, etc. Raven silently endured it all, glaring at Barbara the entire time. At last, Dr. Livingston herself entered the room.

"Sorry about that! It's just so chaotic down here!" she said good naturedly. She turned to Raven and smiled. "You must be Raven,"

"I must be," Raven said, rolling her eyes. Way too perky for her tastes.

"So, what brings you here today? What can I do for you?" she asked, ignoring Raven's comments. The smaller girl sighed.

"I'm losing weight rapidly, but I can't bring myself to eat because every time I just end up throwing up. And no, I'm not bulimic, but I don't think it's the stomach flu either," Raven said. The doctor looked thoughtful.

"Was your period on time this month?" she asked. Raven blushed and stared at her feet, blushing.

"Ah, no," she answered, embarrassed. The doctor made a note on the clipboard she was holding. Raven looked up a second, and was grateful for the sudden interest Barbara had taken in the wall.

"Have you been sexually active?" she asked with a completely straight face. Raven felt her entire body heat up. Why her? Her and her. . . stupidity! Dear Azar, how did she do these things to herself?

"Yeah. . ." she mumbled, looking away. The doctor made another note on her clipboard.

"How long as this been going on for did you say?" she asked distantly. Raven shrugged.

"Few weeks?" she guessed.

"Well, I can't be sure, but I'd say there's a good chance you're pregnant," the doctor concluded.

The room was silent.

Raven felt as though someone had plunged her into a bucket of ice water. It wasn't that she hadn't considered this as a possibility, but it being real. . .the idea that something inside her was alive. . .

She ran over to the sink and emptied her systems of Barbara's good intentions.

* * *

Alfred could not help but be amused by the girl standing outside the mansion. She had spent the last half an hour looking for the doorbell. At last the blonde collapsed, and sat on the stoop, probably waiting for someone to come home. He took pity on her and opened the door.

"How may I help you miss?" he asked politely. She stared at him with her big blue eyes.

"Oh! Right! I am here to see Raven," she stated. Alfred nodded.

"And what is your business with her?" Alfred asked, looking her over. Well, she didn't LOOK dangerous…

"My name is Terra Markov, and I'm from Jump City, California. I'm here to talk to Raven," Terra said. "I'm a Titan."

"Ah, um, she's out at the moment, but should be back shortly. Would you like something to eat while you wait? Something to drink?" he inquired. Terra's eyes lit up.

"Thank you so much! That would be so awesome!" she shouted. She picked up her bags and came inside, appropriately oohing and ahing at the opulent house. Alfred served her the remains of Barbara and Raven's breakfasts, and watched in shock as the skinny girl at ravenously.

Terra's head shot up as she heard Barbara and Raven enter. She took a deep breath, and finished eating quietly.

Raven collapsed on the couch, rather than bother to walk up to her bedroom. It would take too much energy, and quite frankly she was exhausted both physically and emotionally. They were running a pregnancy test to be sure, but all the signs were there.

_She was pregnant._

Raven could hardly believe it. Something was living inside her. She pressed her hands to her stomach. Oh, Azar! How had she gotten herself into this mess? She'd also gotten a long speech there about her health. The doctor had said that if she lost anymore weight, they would feel no guilt about physically forcing her into the psych ward.

"Hey," Terra said, facing Raven. Raven noticeably paled. Barbara watched the blonde girl. Who was she anyway? "How've you been?"

"Not so good. . ." Raven said, shrugging her bony shoulders. Terra watched her with worry. She was so thin . . . .

"Anything exciting happening in Gotham?" Terra asked, trying to continue the conversation. Raven sighed.

"Why are you here, Terra? What do you want?" Raven asked, tired. She didn't want to deal with this. . . .

"We miss you guys," Terra said, looking at her with concern. "Why don't you come back to Jump City?" Raven said.

"I can't, Terra. Not now! I, I, Oh god!" Raven burst into tears, scaring Terra. She wasn't used to this emotional side of Raven. She winced as a coaster blew up.

"What's wrong?" Terra asked, sitting down and putting her hand on Raven's shoulder. Barbara and Alfred exchanged looks, but didn't do anything.

"I'm pregnant," Raven just spit it out. Terra gasped.

"Oh, um, wow," Terra said, looking for the words. Raven laughed bitterly.

"Yeah," Raven said, sniffing. Terra hugged her. Raven froze. "This qualifies as a hug . .." she growled.

"Get over it," Terra said. "Hey, let's watch bad TV tonight and hang out, like old times," she said, smiling.

"Alright," Raven said, rolling her eyes. "Hey Barbara, you can take the night off," Raven said. Barbara raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. Maybe this was going to end up being an easy job after all.

* * *

The club was smoky and dark, and stank of alcohol. Barbara waited patiently. Robin had said he would be here; therefore, he would show up sooner or later. She sipped her beer, letting the cool liquid slide pleasantly down her throat. She scanned the room. Ah! That he was!

"Robin!" she shouted, putting a hand up to hail him over. He smiled when he saw her and walked over.

"Hey, how are you?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Not bad. How bout yourself?" she asked, gesturing towards a waiter to bring a beer for Robin.

"Been better. My girlfriend kicked me out of the house," he admitted. Barbara raised her eyebrows.

"And you didn't try to get back in?" she questioned, conveniently leaving out that she was looking after Raven. Better to get his side of story first, and then let him throw out all the things she should pass along.

"Eh, I was mean to her. Left her alone all day, didn't give her anything to do, took her away from her friends, told her to go to hell; that was the straw that broke the camel's back. She threw me out and I've been too guilty to do anything about it since," he gratefully accepted the drink the waiter brought him. Around the club, people stared. Barbara's father's involvement with Batman, and Dick Grayson being the adopted son of Bruce Wayne made them semi-famous in Gotham. The two didn't notice. They were old friends from when Jim had been looking for a home for Dick.

"Well, Bruce is paying an ungodly amount of money to look after her because she's miserable by herself. Any word I should pass along?" she said, deciding now was a good time to be The Nice Friend. He sighed, and stared into his drink.

"Tell her I miss her. And I love her. And I want to see her again," Robin said, thinking about the wonderful woman he had just lost. He missed her; he wanted her back in his arms.

Barbara nodded. She emptied her bottle, and listened to the blaring music for a minute. Oh, it was that song by Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock. . . "Picture", that was it! Hmm, how appropriate.

* * *

Terra and Raven sat in front of the TV, watching _Law & Order _reruns. Raven poked the Chinese food they had ordered in. Well, at least she wasn't throwing up. That was good, right?

"Why do we watch these shows? Don't we get enough heartache from our job?" Raven asked, listening to the detectives discuss the victim's private sex life. God, people were insane!

"Eh, well, it's good to keep us aware of what's going on in world. You know, they have to those 'ripped from the headlines' episodes. We're keeping up with our careers is all," Terra said. Raven laughed quietly. She ran her fingers over her stomach.

"How are the others? How's Starfire?" Raven asked quietly, hardly trusting herself to speak.

"They're good. Beast Boy's exactly the same, Cyborg's good, but Starfire as changed a lot. She's tougher, more mature," Terra noted. "But she's not angry. She's not upset at you or Robin. She's let go. She's forgiven everything," Terra added, the latter part more quietly.

"I'd like to see them . . ."

"I can have them on the T-jet and flying over in a matter of minutes," Terra said, biting before Raven could change her mind. Raven looked a bit nervous.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "They probably don't want to have anything to do with me. . ."

"That's a lie!" Terra shouted. "They miss you guys too. We can't be mad at each other forever, it's just not right. It might be time for reconciliation." Raven looked thoughtful.

"Well, if they don't absolutely _hate _me. . ."

Terra was online before Raven could even finish her sentence.

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